Sunday April 8th I sat down to watch an evening of T.V. with my family, all happily groggy from our Easter meal. Although primetime television does not begin until 8 pm, my evening started at 7 with America’s Funniest Home videos. This parades the silliest of silly home videos that show some average Americans, but primarily far below average Americans in their every day follies. Then, we continued our support of the discovery channel special, Planet Earth. This ran for two hours and looked at oceans and grasslands. Both contained spectacular views and lots of interesting information. We then switched to Without a Trace. This drama, where a police team searches for a missing person, looked at race relations and the treatment of the lower class. After all of this high quality entertainment I stumbled off to bed.
America’s Funniest Home Videos did not bring any new situations into my life. Yes, I was able to experience other people’s most humiliating moments, but I experience my own most humiliating moments every day. I also think that lower class people tend to be over represented and where I live I am surrounded by people in the lower middle to upper lower class. It really only served to perpetuate many of the stereotypes about Americans. The Discovery Channel special did help me to experience things that I most likely will never experience. While I would like to say one day I will see the caribou migrate or a killer whale feed, its unlikely that even as an environmental scientist I ever will. So, seeing them on T.V. is a chance for me to experience the wilderness in its full glory. Also, I learned many interesting things that I have never heard even in a biology class. (Do you know which biome supports the most number of organisms?) Finally, I watched a group of police search for a lost child. I have never known a missing person but this situation was all too familiar to me. I felt as though I have been through this about a million times.
The type of program may have a big part in whether television is creating a hyper reality or bringing a part of the world in that would otherwise be missing. For instance, I felt as though I had been somewhat involved in a kidnapping even though I’ve never known someone who was kidnapped. And, by the shows that are on every night, it seems like kidnappings are more commonplace than children making it home safe. However, the discovery channel special is bringing places from all over the world that I will never see into my living room. I’m seeing sights that I will probably never get the chance to see in person or may not be able to see. For example, they slowed down a shark attack so it could be seen in detail. That is the only chance I’ll ever have to see that. America’s Funniest Home Videos is a blend between these scenarios. Yes, I am getting to see lives that I would otherwise not see. However, it is only adding to the stupid American stereotype.
Of all shows, I think that the dramas and reality shows create a feeling of hyper-reality. They showcase the world in a way that is not realistic. They create a frenzy feeling like that’s how life is when really, it isn’t. Crime scene analysis isn’t like that in real life. Real people don’t sit around in mansions all day drinking champagne. This is the reality that these shows portray and it only adds to the confusion in the world about what life should be like. Does a mansion mean success? Is money what its all about? Should we all be packing guns to protect ourselves? Is there a good chance that by next week I’ll be kidnapped? Watch primetime television and this may be the feeling you leave with. Choose good programming and you’ll get to see a new side of the world.
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