Friday, October 26, 2012

America's New Addiction

Why are Americans so obsessed with reality television? What does this say about our culture? Explain the causes of this obsession and what are some of the long term effects. Read the following ( 2 ) articles and write a thoughtful response. http://web.mit.edu/renakatz/www/cultureshock/essays/essay4.html http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2012/09/12/here-comes-honey-boo-boo-blows-up.html

27 comments:

Anonymous said...

Reality television has become an epidemic in America. Everyone is obsessed with watching these shows because they're not only entertaining, but also an interesting concept for many Americans. I myself have watched many reality shows such as: Keeping up with the Kardashians, Jersey Shore, and even America's Next Top Model. Some times I ask myself, "Why am I even watching these stupid shows?" But we're all watching these shows for pure entertainment, and that some of these shows are even addicting. Watching the celebrity reality shows is really popular because you not only get to see their houses, but also what their doing all the time. Reality television just might be ruining America, because it's such a bad influence for the younger kids.

Emily Marklin said...

I think most Americans are obsessed with reality television because it’s an escape from everyday life and their own problems. When they see people on television with their own problems, it makes them feel better about their own problems. But also the shows usually are very entertaining and when that is what everyone is talking about Monday morning in class or work, you want to be included in the discussion and voice your own opinions as well. The causes of this obsession strain from everyone watching these shows and these shows being addicting. The long term effects of this are many people wanting their own reality TV show and doing just about anything to get it to make money off of it. The obsession is pretty crazy and it’s only going to get worse.

Unknown said...

Our generation is absolutely obsessed with reality television shows. This is because of a number of reasons. One reason we are constatly watching reality shows is because it can easily make us feel better about our own lives. We watch romances to heal our love lives and we watch dramas as a comical mock. Although watching reality television shows don't get us very far in life, it does have a positive effect on our society. A lot of reality shows such as Project Runway or Cake Boss can teach us to chase our dreams and make it far in life. Of course it's not exactly reality, but it gets people in the mind set that they can do anything they dream of doing, which is a very positive outlook in life. I personally love reality television shows because whenever I'm bored it's always a simple way of finding entertainment and whenever I'm upset I can easily turn the television on and immediately feel better about my life. Reality shows make me feel so much better about my life and it shows me that most of the time my situations can be much worse. By our society constantly craving reality shows, this shows that our generation is for the most part sick in the head. We find enjoyment out of others in pain or in emotional disasters and we crave the love and break up shows. This alone can say so much about our generation, but the fact that our generation is even putting these shows on television in the first place worries me the most.

Unknown said...

Americans are obsessed with reality TV because it gives them the the opportunity to forget about their lives and make themselves apart of another by watching TV. This shows that our culture is obsessed with their image and what other people think of eachother. The cause of this reality phenomenon is what we want ourselves to look like and how we want to be portrayed in society. the effects of this are we change ourselves to look like those on TV. Think about how many girls get a fake tan and poof their hair since Snooki came to reality TV existance. I think that reality TV limits originality because everyone wants to become what is popular in the social media. Some long term effects is that reality TV imprints a lasting image of the person on society, people think its okay to act a certain way in public because it's happening on TV, and society feels pressured to always keep up with the latest trends on these shows.

Unknown said...

Americans are so obsessed with reality TV because people like to see other people fail to help them feel better about themselves. When people see on TV how messed up people are, they then look at themselves like wow I’m so much better than that. Reality TV is also extremely entertaining. I think it is so entertaining because of the fact that it is real people and their real lives. Today there are so many reality TV shows because so many people are trying to be in that spotlight. Even though the fame isn’t necessarily good, you don’t need to have any talent to get it and it is easy. The fact that children today are growing up to trashy, reality TV shows is bad for the future. Children are going to think that it is acceptable to act like these people on TV and it is going to degrade society. These reality TV shows portray our culture as low class.

briguy23 said...

Shows such as "Here Comes Honey Boo-Boo" conceptualize what the bottom portion of our country goes through. It sets up a terrible example for those out there watching that they can have success for being so unintelligent and so backwards that it is brutal to watch. This show is an example of everything wrong with society. People, who just hang around all day, do nothing and get paid for it shows the exact flaws in society. I feel that often in time, people in our country watch shows like this to make them feel better. Think about it, if a family who lives in the middle class who has a solid income and decent life, but still feel’s depressed and sad, etc. watching this show makes them realize “Hey, at least I’m not one of these people. “ That’s what I feel is the cause of these shows making money and having success. People watch these shows, knowing that they’re not real, to get entertainment and escape the day to day bull-crap, that is their life. This simple cause makes for a ripple effect in society. Not only has this lead to more and more of these kinds of “reality shows”, it has made people idolize these kinds of people. Snooky, Honey Boo-Boo, J-Wow-, The Situation, are all people that not only shouldn’t be looked up to or idolized, they should be institutionalized.

Unknown said...

Americans are obsessed with reality TV shows. Sure, we get to go into the lives of different people and families, but there needs to be a limit. Americans are becoming classified and stereotyped based upon the people in the shows. When people watch these reality shows and giggles, they are only putting more gas in the fire. By watching these shows and raving about them, the stars of the shows are going to want their names out even more. This leads to t-shirts everywhere, autograph signings, and other crazy things. The watching of reality TV shows is creating false role-models in society. We are looking up to people who do stupid, unmoral, and ridiculous things meanwhile we should really be looking up to and praising those who save lives and impact society. Changes need to be made in the reality TV industry. Maybe instead of watching crazy and wrong shows like Here Comes Honey Boo Boo and Jersey Shore, we can watch shows about people who actually deserve to be on TV.

Julia Quadrino said...

As the age of social media has come to be, people have been brought closer to celebrities they were once so out of touch with. For example, you could know every little thing a celebrity is doing by simply following them on twitter. However, when this "celebrity" really is just an everyday person who you very well could meet on the street, it intrigues a person. People are attracted to reality shows to get a glimpse at these "everyday people" who get their claim to fame. Throw in the fact that some of these ridiculous people could give a confidence boost to any average joe any day of the week, reality television has become somewhat addicting in the past few years. It has created new social standards and stereotypes, such as the "guido" label that has resulted from Jersey Shore. Reality television has people thinking in an entirely new way.

Veronica said...

Reality television has become a guilty pleasure to all Americans. I can admit that it is hard not to be attracted to the funny and luring things advertised on Television. While i also believe that we should all be aware that what we are watching is almost never completely "real" i dont find it harmful to watch for adults. Because of the attracting advertisements and the suspense shown on television it is hard not to want to watch these addicting yet useless shows. Reality television has changed our society to somewhat depend on the media which is why it has become so popular. Some of the long term effects that the media causes on young children could be the fact that they become distracted and corrupted by what they see. This can be dangerous because they can watch these shows thinking thats how real life should be yet they are fake. Reality television show have a warning stating that the information aired is not always real and mostlt scripted.

Zack Zlotnick said...

I don’t know exactly why reality television is so addictive to people. Personally I can’t stand watching it and I’d rather pull my hair. On the other hand, people seem to love it and think it’s quality television. I don’t know why they think this way but you have to respect it. The only explanation I can think of is that in this day and age everything is there, for the most part. Starving is no longer a major epidemic, everyone has everything. The insane amount of technology shelters us and limits our interactions in the real world. This leads to the popularity of shows like “Real World” and “Honey Boo Boo”. People seek real life situations and they see these shows and think they are funny because they are such an extreme of human interaction. On one side there are your “average” families who have a nice home, have steady jobs and then you have families like Honey Boo Boo’s. The steady families see these shows and it’s almost like they’re at a zoo watching wild animals do stupid, unthinkable things, and quite frankly it’s funny. I, in no way, shape or form think it’s a good thing, but I can’t stop it, I can only boycott it. People like to feed off of others’ lives and watching reality television is an all you can eat buffet.

Samantha D said...

Reality television has become America's obsession. I think it's partially understandable. A lot of people watch reality television to let themselves escape from their everyday lives. The truth is, our everyday lives can become routine, boring, and stressful. Sometimes it's nice to take a break and laugh, cry, or just be interested in something else besides how much homework we have or what we're eating for dinner. On the other hand, a lot of reality television disgusts me. For instance, I can't put on the show Hoarders for more than five minutes without wanting to throw up. I can't even eat while watching Here Comes Honey Boo-Boo (which usually results in me changing the channel, only to find the newest episode of
Teen Mom playing). The bottom line? These people need help. Not lights and cameras. There is a fine line between being confident with your imperfections and just having something seriously wrong with you...
Remind me again, what message are we sending to the next generation?

Unknown said...

I think that people watch reality t.v to get out of their own little worlds and see how other people handle different situations. These people on reality t.v have been held up to us as the coolest people around. The way the dress, act, and talk is something that we should all admire and try to replicate. While at times this is fun, it is beginning to effect people in a different way. As the article says people are now fighting over the smallest things. These shows are almost changing the personality of the people who are watching them. If you wanted to compare the last generation to this one, I think there would be differences that would shock everybody. Some of that can be related back to what is displayed in the media and on t.v. People are shown a way to act and behave on television. Were also shown that the people who do act like that make millions of dollars. If they can make that type of money, what is stopping kids from this generation from acting like that too?

Ken B. said...

Reality shows have grown in popularity over the past several years. Countless numbers of poeple sit and tune in to these shows, which in my mind are outrageous(not in the good way). Americans have given many different answers to the question, "Why do you watch reality TV?" Many respond saying that they only watch these shows to be able to talk about them with their coworkers and friends. I believe that the people who watch shows such as "Real Housewives of New Jersey" are doing so because they are looking for some kind of fulfillment in their lives and are in some small way jealous of the lives that these reality stars have. They watch to see the misfortune and superior lack of intelect that these stars possess. The people who watch the more hurtful shows where the contestants have to struggle or endure pain are, in my mind, cold blooded people who have no filter as to to what is right and what is wrong.
These shows reveal that Americans are brainwashed into believing that in order to be social and fulfill that empty space in their lives, they must watch these shows. I am ashamed to say that these are one of the big things that America is known for. Howeverm these kinds of shows do reoccurr in the world. Japan, for example, also presents these kinds of shows to please their audiences. On the shows in Japan, the contestants are put through absurd challenges, not too far away from what we do to the contetants on our shows. However, when looked at from the outside, I do believe that the fact Americans watch these shows lowers our country's moral standings and appeal to the rest of the world.
As a result of these shows, many people have adopted habits and phrases that have been popularized by these shows. My sibling, who is 12, feels that he can talk to anybody however he wants without consequence or repremanding, all because of the way that the parents let their children behave on these shows. Other kids have adopted profanity at ages that shock me. Finally, it has shifted a teenagers perspective into parties and the use of drugs and alcohol. They see how much fun these stars from Jersey shore have and they want to be able to party like they do.

Anonymous said...

Reality Television has managed to plague the minds of countless amounts of people across America. People become attached to these absurd shows because many feel their lives can one day compare to the outcomes based off these series. Sadly enough many are also brainwashed into thinking these shows are actually "real." Our culture is gaining an embarrassing and immature image due to reality television. I can just image what other countries think of America; they witness shows that include toddlers presenting themselves as trashy and revealing individuals for entertainment. The obsession for reality television is continuing to spread throughout the country. The craving of these shows has a variety of causes including people trying to escape from their own lives, the pure joy of day dreaming, and sadly enough these shows are inspiring people to model what they witness during these series. The image of America will continue to diminish as long as these reality shows continue to flourish.

Anonymous said...

I think Americans are so obsessed with reality television because they feel that their life is boring. They want to see what other people do because they don’t know what to do with themselves. They rely on other people’s ideas and fun from reality television and act from them. I also think that people compare they’re life to people on reality television and they make poor decisions in life. They think acting and trying to be what they’re not will get them famous. Everyone has dreams, but you have to act for yourself and not act from other people’s perspective. This says about our culture that maybe we are to free to be and will ruin our country in a way that reality television affects people and our country will be a joke. Other cultures will see how sad it is to see a 5 year old baby holding a $500 ipad and using that as entertainment, while it used to be a few dolls to play with. This will lead to poor and lazy decisions for children in the future. They’re decision will be made upon what they watch on television and would result in poor decisions making America look bad.

Irina Heimerle said...

I believe that the causes for this surge of reality TV are simple. Reality TV is just an easier way to see how other people live, without leaving your couch, also, it gives the audience the opportunity to feel what it would be like to be in the person’s situation. Not only does this give us the chance to pursue our dreams vicariously through Alana Thompson, or “Honey boo boo”, but it also gives us the chance to get a feel for other’s lives and compare it to our own. I have no problems with the show Here Comes Honey Boo Boo because it honestly is real to me, it looks real, I believe them when they talk, unlike many other reality TV shows and they do not care about how people think about them. And I find that to show a positive message to the next generation. I think we all need to relax a little about them, yes, June, the mother is 32 and has a grandchild, but SO DOES MILLIONS OF PEOPLE AROUND THE COUNTRY! I honestly believe people just make it a big deal because she is on TV. Secondly, either way, reality TV is here whether you agree with it or not, and it doesn’t look like it’s going anywhere soon. I find that a lot of people are hypocritical when it comes to this because I find myself finding people who are like, “oh reality TV is so wrong and destroying America” and then the next day there like, “OMG did you see Breaking Amish last night?” I just don’t see reality TV leaving our country and whether it is bad or not, it has already been added to a staple in the next generation.

Anonymous said...

I believe that our generation is very obsessed with reality television shows, there are a lot of different reasons people love reality TV shows. One reason people love reality shows is because they are an escape from the everyday life we are living, people love to get lost in TV. Another reason people like them, is because we need something to cheer us up, and when people fail miserably it makes us feel better about our own lives. The problem is no one knows when to stop, people from these reality TV shows become famous and rich and popular all because of us watching their shows. I personally don’t like how that could be possible, it makes me very sad because there are so many people out there who truly need to be famous and rich, people who do wonderful things for others and our world. When children turn on the television do you want them to see honey-boo-boo and the cast of jersey shore or a local hero who saved a family from a burning house. Give the kids of the future better role models so maybe we can have a better world.

Danielle said...

I can honestly say I am not a person of reality TV. I find it completely unneccesary and in a way, kind of rude. Reality television does nothing but intrude on people's lives and to the viewers, only makes us act a specific way. Teenagers, who are their own breed through the years, are completely hard to deal with. If they aren't having a hard enough time trying to "find themselves" add reality TV to the mix and really confuse them. By watching these television shows, teens, as well as other people, simply don't know how to act. There is a huge misconseption about what is so called "normal" and what is not. These shows are influencing kids to act a specific way to basically test the human race to figure out what is acceptable and waht is not. For a show such as "Here Comes Honey Boo Boo", it's the family's decisions to let people see how they live but if you ask me, it's completely ubsurd. In the past, TV was used as an escape. Fictional TV shows would allow us to "take a load off" and enjoy something that was ultimately non existent. We all knew specific situations would never happen because they were made up storylines. Now, reality TV is interfering with our way of life and ultimately confusing the human race. Like I said, in my opinion, it's a waste of time and I will never watch shows like "Here Comes Honey Boo Boo" or "Jersey Shore" just to name two.

Vincent Tortora said...

In America today many people watch lots of reality TV shows. People like reality TV because it shows crazy situations and crazy people. Many people enjoy seeing other people act like idiots and act in a way that goes against a normal day in society. On the other hand, people also enjoy watching people become successful by getting through different challenges. As a culture this says that we enjoy watching people succeed and fail at different things. We also enjoy watching people do different crazy things. This obsession of reality TV shows is not good. It teaches little kids that it is okay to do some of these things. Also, people think its okay to act like some of the idiots that we watch on TV. The people that are on the TV shows do not deserve to be famous and make a lot of money. These people are just making fools of themselves and setting a bad example for the rest of society, especially young kids. Some reality shows are good because they show positive examples of people doing things but most are terrible examples and are making for a bad future and a bad generation of people.

Jackie Graff said...

I think reality television has pretty much become a part of our religion. People watch their shows religiously whether it’s every Monday, Tuesday, all the way through Sunday every week to catch up on the new episode. People thrive or become obsessed with all the drama, and fighting that goes on with each reality show. But with more shows that seem to come out every year, the more our little kids of this society now act like it. What happened to the kids with Gameboys? What about the DS? It’s now replaced with either an iPod touch, iPhone, or an Ipad. It’s starting to get ridiculous. The parents of these young kids who act like this should not let their kids act, look, or dress like this. They shouldn’t be able to have these things at such a young age.

Suzanna P said...

In the past few years reality television has started to take over the world. Instead of children watching shows like Spongebob or Rocket Power, they are instead started to watch shows like Keeping Up with the Kardashians or Here Comes Honey Boo Boo. These television shows are giving kids the wrong idea about life. They are having a very negative effect on children. Younger kids now think that they need to dress like a slut and drink alcohol because that is what the people are doing on TV. And these people are rich and famous so children feel that if they follow the celebrities they will become famous too. I too have watched many reality shows and I often look forward to the next episode. This society has become obsessed with these shows, I think because they get an escape from their everyday lives. I believe that by watching shows like Hoarders, people feel better about their lives and it gives them a sense of relief that they are not hoarders. I believe that it is horrible that our society has come to this. I think it’s terrible that we get entertainment from watching other people live their lives instead of taking the time to live our own.

Leigh Anne said...



I think Americans are so obsessed with reality television because it’s so disturbingly entertaining that everyone just HAS to watch it. As far as what reality t.v. says about our culture, that’s a whole different story. The fact that “Snooki” is portrayed as a role model in our society is so sick that I lose faith in humanity. I honestly am ashamed of our culture for promoting such obscene television shows such as “Here Comes Honey Boo Boo,” and “My Strange Addiction: I’m addicted to cheesy potatoes.” Americans will honestly watch anything that’s entertaining and that gives them a laugh. Now a days, I feel they will make a show about anything. I honestly wonder who created the shows “Ice Road Truckers,” “Hoarding,” and “Big Fat Gypsy Weddings.” Reality television I believe has impacted the younger generations of our society the most, and will have a major impact on how these children grow up.

Unknown said...

Americans have become so obsessed with Reality TV and every year there are more and more reality TV shows. People say they love reality TV so much for several different reasons. Some people watch it because it’s funny and extremely entertaining. Others are obsessed with reality television because everyone else watches and it makes us people feel more normal. Some shows also give people more hope and inspiration to follow their dreams. It’s actually very sick some of the shows that give on and absolutely ridiculous that these insane people are making millions of dollars because of stupid things they do on television. Due to reality television, society is being affected more negatively than positively. Because we watch these shows, we are the ones who are allowing these crazy people become extremely wealthy and famous for all the wrong reasons. In a way we are saying it is okay to act like this. Also, children are seeing these shows and look up to these reality TV stars, which isn’t a good thing. Of course, certain shows, such as American Idol, America’s Next Top Model, and So You Think You Can Dance, are inspiring people to follow their dreams; however, there are shows like Jersey Shore and Teen Mom, where these stars make stupid decisions and do terrible things and still are making millions of dollars. We love seeing others in pain or do stupid things because it makes us feel better about ourselves.

jack dillman said...

I belive Americans are obsessed with reality Tv and it's getting worse and worse. Some of the shows that are on Tv these days are absurd and have no business being shows. Even if they may be the stupiest show containing the stupidest people, countless numbers of people still tune in every week. I think people use these shows to escape there own life. I think that americans will become even more entranced in reality Tv and the shows will continue to get stupider and stupider. these shows are bad influnces on kids but parents let there kids watch them anyway. I try to stay away from these shows as much as possible.

tyler talboom said...

I feel that reality television today has completely changed from when I was younger. Now days people tune into television shows that are outrageous and most of them shouldn’t even be on television. Our generation now has gotten so wrapped up in the silly television shows that are about the dumbest things, but people continue to watch them because it entertains them. In our generation kids are beginning to watch stupid shows such as the Jersey Shore and other MTV shows like 16 and pregnant. These shows are setting very bad examples to those that are watching them, kids these days look up to celebrities or anyone on TV. So when producers make shows that are completely ridiculous I think it’s crazy all the shows in our generation don’t have a positive influence to anyone watching them and that’s what they should be doing if so many children are watching them. It’s crazy how addicting these reality television shows are these days.

Unknown said...

I think that Americans are obsessed with reality television because they think it’s a real life look on a person’s life. Most Americans don’t realize that many of these shows are semi-scripted, which doesn’t make them real. My father also always said to me that “Misery loves company” I believe that another reason people are addicted to “reality” TV is because it gives them a sense of security in their own lives. For example some people might say “Well I’m bad, but at least I’m not as bad as the cast of Jersey Shore”. Another reason for this obsession could be that the person love to watch tension between characters, but doesn’t like the scripted feel of soap operas. Many times these soap operas are so predictable that they get very boring very quickly. With reality shows there is a sense of raw material. With shows such as American idol and project runway people love to watch these shows because many times they have the same dreams and it also gives them a sense of hope that maybe one day a regular Joe or Jane like themselves can also live out their dream. The fact that so many people are obsessed with this garbage says that we really don’t know what good entertainment is. If someone from another country came here and sat down and watched TV I honestly think that they would be terrified and disgusted t the things we are putting in our own heads. Now in this day in age many children are acting like grownups. I’ve seen in with my own three year old sister granted, she is in a house where she is much younger than everyone else but sometimes when my sister and I are watching our shows she pick up on some mannerisms and acts very mature for her age. It’s actually quite frightening because eit seems like she’s growing up way too fast.

Caitlyn Mensch said...

The obsession for reality TV seems to be spreading like wildfire across the U.S. Reality TV is obviously made to get viewers, so they do exaggerate many things to capture the audience’s interest. I feel that many American’s have probably gotten bored of typical TV dramas and wanted a little more excitement and humor, so they turned to reality TV. It is also common for people to “conform” to what everyone else is doing. Now that many Americans are watching these types of shows, other fellow Americans will follow to fit in. People want to fit in socially. I am honestly not a fan of reality TV. I think it is mostly exaggerated rubbish that is quite far from reality. Even though the show, “Here Comes Honey Boo Boo”, looks funny there is no special reason for them to be on television. For shows such as “Jersey Shore”, don’t get me started. I can’t stand shows like this. Kids are watching this show. Before you know it these characters become “role models” to those kids and now they are being negatively influenced. The behavior of these so called “adults” is absolutely inappropriate. This show has given Italian Americans a bad reputation as well as America as a whole. Television should censure reality shows that are like this.