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Money for reality shows could help solve social problems
Commentary
By
John-Mark Day
Fox Broadcasting is dropping serious
cash on “Joe Millionaire” so we can laugh at women backstabbing
each other in the name of “love” and $50 million. CBS
is looking for the perfect backwoods family to turn into “The
New Beverly Hillbillies” so we can laugh at the hicks with
cash. And the WB put seven former semi-celebrities together in a
house so we can laugh at those who used to have money living “The
Surreal Life."
What can we learn from this new influx of “reality” television
shows? The major networks have a whole lot of money to burn, and
they’re looking for anyone who will exploit themselves for
a buck.
In this cash-starved economy, it’s nice to see that someone
has money. And it’s even nicer to see that they’re willing
to spend it on such world-important enterprises. Does sarcasm come
across in print?
This could be a commentary on the evils of capitalism, where standards
and budgets for education are constantly lowered while television
programming continues to throw money around. Or it could also be
a critique on the evils of exploiting people in the name of ratings.
But it’s not.
There is, after all, money out there for people willing to exploit
themselves. But the supply of these people who are also young, good-looking
and sex-crazed has got to run out sometime soon. So it might be
time for the networks to begin looking for other groups to exhibit
in the electronic sideshow of television.
Like, for example, “Who Wants to Be a High School Graduate?”
Public school students in economically disadvantaged districts compete
for prizes including school asbestos removal, student-to-teacher
ratios lower than their area code and private school tuition vouchers.
Every week, the contestants can vote one student off, who gets a
scholarship to a Division-II school.
And especially for the college crowd, there’s “Beer Factor.”
Students take tests and perform other daily functions hung over.
In the bonus round, contestants attempt to identify who they made
out with the previous night while under the influence. Every week,
one contestant is voted off and forever labeled as that guy who
just couldn’t hold his liquor.
Or maybe “The Homeland Security Act Presents Big Brother.”
Eager audiences can tune in to see their friends and neighbors engage
in acts of potential sabotage of the U.S. government. Every week,
FBI informants vote off a featured contestant, who gets a free trip
to beautiful Camp X-ray.
Then there’s “Survivor: Mental Health Ward.” The
state’s mentally-ill patients compete for access to a rapidly
shrinking list of counselors and programs. The two “tribes”
battle against each other and increasing budget cuts. This one even
has spin-off potential with “Survivor: Homelessness” as
patients are released (“voted off”) without being treated
and cut loose when money for medicine runs out.
Maybe, just maybe, it might be time for the American public to start
throwing money at something important on a larger scale.
Or maybe, just maybe, it might be time to cast me as the next bachelor.
John-Mark
Day is a senior religion and news-editorial journalism major from
St. Joseph, Mo.
He can be reached at (j.m.day2@tcu.edu).
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