This is my blog, but it's really meant to begin dialogs, not just be a monolog. I waited so long to start a blog because I generally shake my head at the numbers of people who think their views are of interest to anyone outside their immediate circle of friends. So, I don't want to write that kind of a blog, since I would be surprised if anyone really cares what I think about anything. The kind of blog I would like to write is one that introduces topics that other people have thought about, too.
The recent cases of the Heene family and the Balloon Boy and the couple who gatecrashed the President's State Dinner represent the negative consequences of the shift from fiction TV to reality programming. People who wanted to be famous would daydream about being discovered by a talent agent while waiting tables or serving in a shop. Now they want to actually create circumstances that will get them public notice and parlay that into a reality career ("reality" should be in quotes there, probably). While we could trace the trend back to The Jerry Springer Show, the move from daytime to prime time and the increased rewards (actual money instead of the opportunity to publicly berate an adulterous spouse) have literally raised the stakes that make participation more enticing. As part of the evening TV-scape, reality TV shows attract media attention. Finally, the TV channels benefit because reality TV shows are much cheaper to produce than fiction TV.
The greater presence on TV of average people (as opposed to stars) parallels the greater presence of average people on the web through blogs and wikis.
I'm not sure that this is such a good thing. What do you think?
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