Reality Angst
Reality TV programming has been around for quite a while now. In the beginning it seemed to be about contests like Big Brother and Survivor. In the past couple of years it has become a staple in cable TV programming with shows following the lives of “ordinary people” living a different kind of life. Jon & Kate Plus Eight became a megahit, and I’ll admit that I was a big fan of the show until this year. (I won’t go into all of that because it’s just a shame.) Another favorite is 18 Kids and Counting, which now is going to be 19 kids. I like this one because they are an interesting family who are kind and loving to each other and display Christian love to the people around them, which is something you rarely see on television.
Other reality programs that I have watched lately have been very strange. Flipping Out, Rachel Zoe Project and Project Runway are ones that I have become familiar with recently. I’ll admit that these programs are about people who are involved in high-end real estate and high-end fashion design. Neither of these subjects really appeals to me, but something about the shows was intriguing. I was watching the “true lives” of people who have large bank accounts and celebrity clientele and very little ethics or morals. They weren’t going on the Internet looking for cheap hotels in Miami, but rather high-end designer vacation options. Sure, it would be nice to have their bank account, but the rest of it — no thank you.
But the more I watched them the more I began to feel what I describe as angst. These programs show people living a soap opera kind of life. Quite frankly it’s pathetic and I sometimes wonder if it’s not made up. The way these people live their lives is totally foreign to me and they become obsessed over the strangest things. And, unlike fictional entertainment, you see these as real people in real situations because they are. And that’s where the angst comes in and that’s where I’ve decided enough is enough. I don’t need to be bothered by their temper tantrums and pity parties over the most ridiculous things, or see them ridicule and belittle each other just because they can. So I’m changing the channel for good.