[Jim R]

I noticed a commerical on TV for some sort of big anniversary show for 'Survivor Island". I think" Surivior Island" is a terrible TV show that couldn't be more un-Christian and exemplies many of the problems we have in our society today. The game involves making alliances, "using" other peoples talents, and then turning on them and figuratively "stabbing them in back". its a mini-Enron. Use your people for profit and gain and then lie to them and squander their life savings. Ultimately the 'survivor" has used all of his former friends and wins the money. Anything goes as long as one wins the money. What do you think, am I over analyzing or is "Survivor Island" really as messed up as I thinkit is?

[des]

I think you are right on. It is discouraging that this is such a popular tv program.
There are similar such shows (though I think that might be the worst-- such as
Fear Factor). I think they are cheap and also easy to produce, not requiring
actors, sets, skilled camera people, writing, etc. It's in the category of "junk tv".
Easy, quick and so on. Hollywood takes this to the max producing not just junk,
but junk with a very negative twist. There were also some cut throat quiz shows--can't
think of the name of the worst one, which promulgated rudeness and cut throat behavior.

OTOH, even in "junk tv" (defined as cheap to do, very formulaic, and "reality based"--
though mostly only apparently), there are shows that seem to suggest a desire for others
to do well, such as Extreme Home Makeover (which puts a very deserving family in a nice
house) or the Biggest Loser (which has the person losing the most weight winning) or
Super Nanny (where struggling families are helped), Dog Whisperer (where struggling
dogs are helped). Even the Millionaire quiz show so popular a few years ago, had everyone
rooting for a person vs against them (whether anyone needs a milliion dollars, that's another
question).

I've been known to like a few of these, I guess in the same category as liking
hamburgers and fries. In moderation. I dislike the nastiness of the Survivor genre, etc.
One I really enjoy, I confess, is Wife Swap. No they don't do sex or anything. It is so
formulaic it gets funny, imo. The idea is two wives from different families and ways of
doing things switches for a couple weeks. If a Martian landing on Earth watched this they
would believe everyone is either anal and compulsive, as well as rigid and unwavering
to their children or permissive and slobs. :-)


--des

[Jim R]

I am defintely not knocking all TV shows, all aren't bad... I watch my share.Survivor Island in particular though seems to foster a greedy vicious mindset that is infecting our whole society and it seems to feed this everybody for themselves agaisnt everybody else mentality.

[des]

Yes, I was not talkign about tv in general anyway. Survivor falls in a category which I am calling
"junk tv". Quick to produce, cheap to produce, "reality" based (not requiring actors, writers, etc), *highly* formulaic, etc. They have limited educational or other value (one might argue about some of them here, as I think a few of these do have limited educational value). The formulaicness (?) is amusing in some cases, where there is exact wording from week to week.

I think there are quite a few shows that fall in that category-- Fear Factor, Rome Bachelor, Super Nanny,
Wife Swap, Dog Whisperer, etc etc. Some of these are mean spirited and nasty, and others are not. Some make you wonder what humanity is coming to and others show a better, even pro-social side. In some of them it seems they are highly negative and others are highly pro-social. I find that an interesting dichotomy.
It is as if they are trying to appeal to the same demographic or something but trying to get a mix of nasty and prosocial. Some of these remind me a little of game shows. You can't get more formulaic than game shows.

--enter naughty dog (child) stage right. Dog whisperer (Super nanny) arrives by SUV. Observation occurs.
training occurs. Dog (child) cured. Happy family is united and there is some little post-script about the family. :-)


--des

[Cynthia]

Shows like these lower the least common denominator of perceived behavior. They leave people thinking, "well, I was ashamed of my behavior, but I'm not bad at all compared to them". Civility is already vastly unimportant in our culture, I think these shows encourage uncivility, immorality, lying, greed, etc. Most on the 7 deadly list. /stops ranting, breathes deeply, steps off soapbox.

I don't mind the contest shows - they seem to almost increase dreaming and hope that something outrageously good could happen at any time. TV is pretty barren these days! I'd love to have a show to keep up with like the old Thur. nights!

[LibChristian]

Jim R.,

Maybe we are all just a bunch of overanalyzers too, but I hate reality TV shows, both the new kind and the older "Judge Judy" or talk show type shows, too! For many reasons:

1) Schadenfreude - the taking of pleasure in other's misfortunes. These are not actors, they are actual people getting hurt.

2) Justifying superiority complexes - People constantly justify their enjoyment by saying "These people are shallow, and they act like idiots so why not enjoy it when they get hurt." But since when do shallow people's feelings not matter? I don't care that you think you are better than the tube-top-wearing girl that had her brother-in-law's child, people that act shallow are still people.

3) Justifying ourselves - a previous poster was totally right, people think "at least I'm not that bad."

I'm sure they are addictive - shallow behavior usually is - which is why I've never let myself watch one.

Can you tell I have strong opinions on this?

~ Lib

[jonathanbensaul]

I have to chime in and say that I do not like any of these "reality" shows. They are so un-real and as others have said, they do foster bad behavior. People adulate Donald Trump for being a hard-nosed greedy sob who will roll over anyone to make a buck.

But the networks are only giving people what they want and since it is vastly more profitable to make a cheap production like this than a quality program like BattleStar Galactica, we keep seeing more and more.

The only "reality" shows I watch are the ones on HGTV: the reality of someone House Hunting or having a Landscapers Challenge.

[Jim R]

HGTV is pretty cool, my wife watches it a lot. I watch a lot of Link TV and Free Speech TV, so if the satellite company is keeping track of my viewing habits and reporting to the FBI, I am toast!

[Cynthia]

I love HGTV! FIT-TV can be pretty inspiring too! :> Then there's always the Naked Archaelogist....

[Jim R]

What the heck is the Naked Archaelogist?

[Isthmian]

Jim R, on Feb 10 2007, 11:14 AM, said:

What the heck is the Naked Archaelogist?

He is a Jewish chap who wanders around the holy land looking at various sites involving often the more obscure myths and legends associated with the area. It is Biblical archaeology for the masses, i.e. not very deep.

[Jim R]

Thanks for that bit of information.