h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

The return of 'Family Night'.

In the last two weeks my family and I have:
Spent an evening playing cards
Spent an evening watching a DVD family movie with a bag of microwave 'movie theatre butter' popcorn
Spent an evening playing a round of putt-putt golf and hitting baseballs in batting cages
Spent an evening playing board games

I thought there had to be some kinda trick to this. Now I see. I agree. although did you see that thing yestardy about the possiblilties of space flight (?Space odessy?). Was that reality TV?

I didn't see that, but if you're in Britain it's because I don't get the same channels you do

If it was a scientific presentation on the possibilities of space flight, I would say it's not reality TV. If it was ordinary goobers seeing who could eat the most disgusting type of bug to win the prize of being the first civilian in space, then yes, reality it is (although I would certainly hope NASA and other space flight-related organisations would be a LOT pickier about who to bestow that honor upon!)

Amen.

Many decades ago (1961), the chairman of the US Federal Communication Commission (FCC) was Newton F. Minnow. OK, maybe he was not the most progressive guy around, but he did create a memorable phrase, as part of a speech:

" ... when television is bad, nothing is worse. I invite you to sit down in front of your television set when your station goes on the air and stay there without a book, magazine, newspaper, profit and-loss sheet or rating book to distract you--and keep your eyes glued to that set until the station signs off. I can assure you that you will observe A VAST WASTELAND. [caps mine - SK]

You will see a procession of game shows, violence, audience-participation shows, formula comedies about totally unbelievable families, blood and thunder, mayhem, violence, sadism, murder, western badmen, western good men, private eyes, gangsters, more violence and cartoons. And, endlessly, commercials--many screaming, cajoling and offending. And most of all, boredom."

Wherever Mr. Minnow is today, he must be smirking. About the only difference is that the stations don't even sign off anymore.

What's amazing is that he said this in 1961. The 1950s were something of a golden era in television; you had bright, creative people like Ernie Kovacs (note to self: he deserves an entry in the Edited Guide) exploring the possibilities of the new medium. By the 60s the garbage had started to metastesize and it's had over 40 years to get even worse. (We've seen a similar evolution of the Internet.)

Anyway, I have nothing good to say about reality TV, other than it's one more reason not to spend money on a new TV (which leaves more money for buying books).

I can offer one positive aspect of reality tv: It allows so called "real people" to understand the downside of fame. If ordinary people like you and I went on a reality tv program, got famous, or more likely, infamous, then we too would understand more about why famous people are so cranky and annoyed when people bother them and invade their space and their lives. People are people, and even if they are famous they deserve to be treated like human beings. I would like to think that reality tv would make more people realize this, but I'm afraid the only people who actually watch reality tv are the ones who do the stalking of the famous people in the first place. Perhaps, reality tv will eventually simply become another way to invade more private lives. What am I saying?! It already is. Oh, well. I tried to see a positive aspect of reality tv!!!

Excellent point. I'm impressed by celebrities who handle all of the attention with poise and grace. I know I couldn't.