ROOTS AND WINGS
Pros and cons of reality TV
By Cathy S. Babao-Guballa
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 00:53:00 09/07/2008
Filed Under: Media, Family
MANILA, Philippines - Last Wednesday, I was invited to speak at a forum in Miriam College on the positive and negative sides of reality TV. Psychiatrist Randy Dellosa and reality TV host Paolo Abrera (of “Hired”) were in the panel as well.
Reality television, as defined by Wikipedia, is “a genre of television programming which presents purportedly unscripted dramatic or humorous situations, documents actual events, and features ordinary people instead of professional actors. Such shows frequently portray a modified and highly influenced form of reality, with participants put in exotic locations or abnormal situations, sometimes coached to act in certain ways by off-screen handlers, and with events onscreen sometimes manipulated through editing and other post-production techniques.”
To find out what Filipino parents like me thought of reality TV, I conducted an informal survey from among 50 participants comprised of friends, colleagues and classmates. Thank God for e-mail, multiply and Facebook, the responses, both animated and insightful, came in very quickly.
Parents’ concerns
Interestingly, all the parents I surveyed watched reality TV with their children, varying in frequency from “sometimes” to “all the time.” Foremost among their concerns were the following: projection of values and language used; exposure to sex and violence; wrong impressions given regarding love and relationships; behaving “over the top”; encouragement of voyeurism and public display of areas in life that should remain private.
Many of these concerns were my issues as well. This is the reason why, once in a while, I like sitting and watching shows like “Project Runway,” “America’s Next Top Model” and “American Idol” with my children. Once upon a time, when it was very new, we were avid viewers of the “Pinoy Big Brother” Celebrity and Teen Editions and rooted each night for our favorites on “Pinoy Dream Academy.”
Based on an informal survey of 50 parents, the Top Seven Reality TV Shows are as follows:
1. America’s Next Top Model
2. Project Runway
3. Amazing Race
4. Iron Chef
5. American Idol
6. Clean House
7. The Apprentice
Parents who watch these shows with their children say that they use the wrong examples they see on television as teachable moments. “Offensive scenes are examples of what they need to avoid in life,” one mom said. Another one told me, “I ask my kids how they feel about a particular scene so that I can gauge if I have implanted the right values.” One huge fan of the show “Amazing Race” would watch it with her teenage boys and cite the different ways and means by which the participants would cope with the stressful situations.
Worried about content
All of the parents were in agreement that much can be improved in the content of reality television shows, most especially the locally produced ones. “I worry about content and the glorification of negative behavior. Does one need to behave badly to succeed or be noticed?”
One mother feels that some of the locally produced shows place unnecessary stress on the lives of the participants akin to “mice in an experiment.”
In general, parents are in agreement that many of the shows need to rethink the lessons and values that they want the viewer to gain. They also feel very strongly about setting limits as to what scenes can be reasonably shared with the public so they do not appear offensive. They want to emphasize the positive over the negative and use the show as a vehicle for values formation.
Curiously, the shows appeal to our dark and voyeuristic side. It’s really a two-edged sword when you think about it. These shows will not rate or prosper if there is no audience that watches it. Though media are powerful and a tool for good (or evil), depending on which way you look at it, the consumer or the viewer can empower himself or herself too, by choosing and being more discerning of the programs they watch.
Shadow of self
Prof. Ronnie Motilla of Miriam College raised a point that was echoed by Dellosa and me; that on the positive side, reality shows can be used in such a way that the program reveals our true selves.
Motilla, a clinical psychologist and head of the wellness center at Miriam College, spoke briefly about Carl Jung’s concept of the Shadow, which is everything in us that is unconscious, repressed, undeveloped and denied and which we project unto other people.
“We are driven by our humanness to be authentic persons,” Motilla said.
But while reality TV continues to thrive, people need to take greater responsibility of their lives. As in books, the best programs are those that reveal our true selves, and in the process make us better human beings.
E-mail the author at cathybabao@gmail.com
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