"In California they don't throw their garbage away they make it into T.V shows" I was thinking the other day as I sat watching The Bachelor with my boyfriend how funny it is that men are so willing to watch these kinds of shows. And by these kind of shows I mean the "bad reality television." They aren't exactly Maury or Jerry Springer, I consider those in a category all there own. Everyone's been exposed to them and the generational response varies. Your mom's are suckers for them and gladly organize a once a week ritual of girly drinks and junk food parking themselves in front of the t.v for that hour and a half a week. I'd compare this to the ancient book clubs (ancient...I guess that's an objective term I'm sure book clubs still exist), reality television parties are the modern day book clubs.
It usually starts with a night of channel surfing. Basic cable and those with the 700+ channels have the same problems, you just cannot find anything interesting on. Then it happens around 8pm your channel flipping lands you on City TV. A tall blonde tanned man is moving in slow motion, his muscles rippling as he "casually" shakes his hair free of ocean water. The camera zooms in on his blue eyes, ironically the same colour as the ocean and slowly pans down to his perfectly chiseled abs. I think I'm going a little too far with this one, but you get the picture. You're hooked, all it took was a hot man in shorts and they have got you for the rest of the season. I'm slightly embarrassed myself, but realistically that's all it took. The next few weeks just confirm your sensible friends (the one's who condemn reality television), worst fears. It's not just about the show anymore, you start to have feelings for the guy. What guy is so willing to be open and honest about his feelings? None that's who. Then that significant other who may have maybe 45% of the attributes our bachelor has, has to see it. In fact he has to watch it. What other way are you going to show him that it's okay to be open about his feelings. They sit down hesitant at first, eye rolling and very non-committal. Then because your too busy drooling over bachelor man you fail to acknowledge that the significant other is eying down the girls on the show... Suddenly it becomes a lot more interesting, they sit up a little straighter, they become involved. They are focused. He's never that focused when he's talking to me.... You are too caught up in bachelor man to even notice. Men like this show. They like it for a number of reasons but most of all because they get to share something with you. No... that doesn't sound right. In fact it's a bold faced lie. From what I've been told the bachelor offers up a period of mindless, no thinking required television. It's a combination of passive and active watching, you don't really have to think about it, but you're involved in who he's going to pick. For some reason our conscious doesn't fight the fact that the show is pumping us full of useless information and we embrace the silly one-on-one dates as if we were there. The camera allowing us to play the part of the girl as we will it to somehow transport us into the show. What we fail to realize is the bachelor has already picked his fiance and they have been engaged or are no longer talking to each other for the past however many months. We watch and engage as though it happens each week. Not that, that is going to stop me from watching each week! Sean is down to two, I can't exactly stop now. Another discussion for another day. Megan
1 Comment
Sue
3/2/2013 10:18:42 am
Happily here is one Mom who is not hooked on the Bachelor or any other reality show.....
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MeganMulti-media journalist with an unstoppable curiosity. Archives
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