Sunday, November 27, 2011

Mistaken Reality – How “Real” is Real? (Chocolate Covered Lies #20)



            People clamor to it on a daily basis. They will hold fireside chats to go over the events that occurred on it. They will even mitigate work productivity for the sake of discussion about it. Water cooler chatter? This will actually control the subject matter of those discussions. Entertainment Tonight is always abreast of the behind the scenes workings of them. If you checked a Twitter or Facebook, you will get real time updates about what is occurring while they are on. It seems as if, nowadays, there is nothing more compelling and more real than…

            the reality show.



            Yes, that is right. I just said “the reality show”. You know, the makeshift aberration of TV programming that is subdued by our everlasting desire to be voyeurs into others’ lives rather than navigators of our own? You know the one device that may have turned talentless botox laden bodies into stars without showing anything remotely close to talent? Don’t we all understand how we watch the one programming that has turned music channels into nosy stations of onlooker tendencies? If you identify with any of those questions, then you know exactly what I am talking about.

            Now it is time to get into the chocolate covered lie: there is nothing wrong with some good, engaging reality television.


            This may rattle some bones and jar some attitudes. I don’t care. I bring truth, not a bunch of manufactured yuletide greetings to make you feel good.

Why We Are Compelled

            There is concrete reasoning behind why we watch reality television. Ohio State University psychologist Steven Reiss has this to say:

Reiss's data showed that the largest significant motive for watching reality television was social status, which leads to the joy of self-importance. Only slightly less strong was the need for vengeance, which leads to vindication. "Some people may watch reality TV partially because they enjoy feeling superior to the people being portrayed," Reiss said. "People with a strong need for vengeance have the potential to enjoy watching people being humiliated." [1]
This piece of information is saying a lot. In actuality, there are 16 different “joys” that Reiss was referring to [2]. However, social status/self-importance and vengeance/humiliation were the prominent joys. Thus, it can be safe to say that people watch these shows to feel better about their selves and to downplay others.



            Good grief. And I thought we were going to escape schadenfreude. I guess not.

            Even more apparent, and shocking for some, is our everlasting enjoyment for “humilitainment” (humiliation + entertainment =…well, you figured it out). What happens is that their episodes of shadenfreude come across because people began to enjoy the humiliation and self-deprecation of others [3]. People will find that special joy in the crass actions of making others look dreadful. Waite even noted that this could be especially dangerous if we “expect it's OK to humiliate and to be humiliated by others, instead of thinking there's something wrong with this behavior” [4]. So, if you notice that there is a lot of cursing on The Real World, another fight on Love and Hip Hop, or some blunder on The Biggest Loser, don’t be alarmed: most of you want it that way.     

The Health Issue with Reality TV

            There have been some health related concerns when it comes to reality television.
            For one, there are certain aspects that tend to be the antithesis of how healthy relationships should be. During a 2002-2003 study by the Parents TV Council, there were 4.3 instances of sexual interaction per hour, a 169% increase from the previous year [5]. Judging how society has responded to this, that fact isn’t surprising. There has also been a 43% increase in the use of foul language, which tends to also be sexually related [6]. Just goes to show us: even in reality TV, sex sells.



            Sometimes, even the “healthier” reality shows send mixed messages. Shows like the “The Biggest Loser” and “Extreme Makeover” are great at showcasing the cosmetic side of losing weight, but they come short-handed at making people realize the health benefits that are associated [7]. People began to only see how losing weight and being healthy makes them “look good”, not “live good”. In addition, the messages that should be sent about weight loss and plastic surgery are lost to the good nature idea of “success” [8]. In the end, people care less how these people achieved results if they went from slob to heartthrob that found a job.

  

            Lastly, there is the issue with substance abuse. Many shows, like “The Real World”, show regular smoking and consumption of alcohol as the regular for people [9]. There are times when these same programs will show you the harms of such behaviors. However, the juxtaposition of positive and negative messages about these behaviors can eventually send mixed messages to the viewer [10]. It does make sense that all of that partying and drinking seen on Jersey Shore becomes a modus operandi for people of that age or younger.  

Conspired Consciousness

            An even bigger issue is that many of the shows are watched by kids and preteens. While some think that is okay, research has said otherwise:

Pediatrican Victor Strasburger, co-author of a leading book on adolescents and the media, noted in an interview for this paper that RTV poses a particular risk to 8- to 15-year-olds, who are seeking and absorbing guidance for their rapidly evolving sense of personal identity as well as their relationships with family, friends and the opposite sex. Moreover, because children and adolescents may be less likely than adults to see the contrived nature of reality shows, they are more likely to take the messages at face value. [11]

Now we have to understand that children don’t understand the nuances of the world like we do. They aren’t able to tell that Bruce Jenner is acting like an emasculated rag doll of a man because it practically boosts ratings. They also don’t understand that Flavor of Love is more talent showcase than a search of romance.



            Even bigger than this is whether or not these shows influence bad behavior. Certain shows can contribute to the “mean girl syndrome”, like the lavishly extravagant “My Sweet 16” or the over-the-top trollop trump “Mean Girls Club” [12]. Females see this type of life and behavior, thinking that this is how people are supposed to act and live. Even worse, these behaviors are carried off into school where bullying becomes rampant [13][14]. In the end, these reality shows can, and actually tend to, have a negative effect on how people behave.

The Skinny

            Reality TV may not be real, but their effects upon society are. People become more concerned with outer appearances and less concerned with the truth behind them. Also, there is an aberration of how substance abuse is viewed and handled. In addition, behavioral concerns are at an all-time high because of these shows.
           
            So the next time you see Somaya Reese spaz out with her Salvadorian accent, Chrissy Lampkin fighting Kimbella Vanderhee, exposing Kimbella’s lack of underwear, or Snooki sitting in a fridge/freezer to cool off her derrier, please know that all of this “entertainment” is having a lasting effect on society.

Where is The Cosby Show and A Different World when you need it? Oh, yeah. Those type of shows cost too much.

‘Nuff said and ‘Nuff Respect.  


Saturday, November 19, 2011

Walking and Talking Clichés: Living Accounts of Meaningless Sayings (CCL # 19)




People nowadays are heavily cliché in their thoughts and actions. There, I said it.

            Many of us spend too much time living by statements that are cornier than Chili Cheese Fritos. An obvious validation of our own insecurities, people will cling to them. It rarely matters if these statements have any true worth. Also, it tends not to matter that these statements lead to stagnation. In the end, they will do it because they are so used to it.


            With all of the above mentioned, it is time to transfer some time into exposing one of the good old fashioned chocolate covered lies that many cling to: the cliché statement that defines lives.

            There will be a couple of clichés covered to show the fallacies that fall behind them.

Vinegar and the Caught Flies

            Statement of cliché: “You catch more flies with honey than with vinegar”.

            This is one of those statements that act as a way to practice self-control.  The vast majority of social and personal problems seem on theoretical grounds to involve a substantial component of deficient self-control [1]. Meaning: if someone has issues going on, there is a great chance that self-control (or a lack of it) is an eminent issue. Also, people are happiest and healthiest when there’s an optimal fit between self and environment, and altering the self can substantially improve the ability to fit in [2]. So, self-control has its benefits; and this statement holds SOME merit.
           

            However, it isn’t a statement that can always be true enough to be a “rule of thumb”.

            The first problem is that behavior control isn’t always the wisest choice.  Although SOME self-control does help life to be more profitable, TOO MUCH self-control can be even worse than none at all:

The scientists have discovered that too much self-control is bad. They consider that one should have self-control, but if one tries to control every aspect of his life with much rigidity, he will only do more harm than good. The self-control wears us down, and the process of thinking about other’s self-control can be demanding as well. [3]

Think about all of these people that have “road rage”, “air-rage”, and even the “Columbine incident”. Many of these people hold so much back that things build up until they explode [4]. Instead of taking each situation and finding an outlet, they let things stack up like a game of Jenga. However, like every game of Jenga, the pieces eventually fall and make a mess.



            Another problem with “honey for flies” is that situations come off way too euphemistic. People will spend time “trying to be nice, when the reality is that they are pretty upset. It is one thing to work to be “professional” and “level headed” about a situation. Yet, one doesn’t want to sacrifice their message for the sake of mass appeal. In the end, euphemistic approaches can leave one not fully communicating their true feelings.

            Oh, and one last pointer: flies seem to be attracted to both honey and fecal matter. I know it’s not sane, but I’m just saying.

 Blinded by the Light….of Love?

            Statement of cliché: “Love is blind”.


            People from William “Billy Boy” Shakespeare to the hip hop/actress Eve has noted that “love is blind”. What this references is that people love “without seeing who they love”. Within the perfection that many of us “want”, when it comes to love that perfection “goes out the window”. True love is supposed to make us look at someone’s flaws and forget all about them. In turn, being “blinded by love” allow us to “see the true beauty in our love partners”.

            “Love is blind” is a heartwarming cliché. Only problem with it is that it is only partially true.


            The love part may be “blind”, but the selection process is not. People subconsciously select mates who come from common socioeconomic backgrounds, ethnicities, geographies, education levels and upbringings [5]. So, from the selection section of relationship building, we are looking for “familiarity” and “preferences”. Gordon Gallup, an evolutionary psychologist at State University of New York at Albany, noted that “innate physical attraction is far from blind; instead, it engages all of our senses signaling if a person is a reproductive match” [6]. Constructively, the selection of a mate is rigorous and discerning.



            Even the “blindness” of love shouldn’t be seen as “blindness” more so than it should be seen as “illusionary constructs of the mind”. People fall in love with their idealized vision of their lovers, or with the idea of being in love, rather than with the actual reality of their lovers [7]. There will more than likely be a positive evaluation towards anything you are more inclined to. More than anything, though, is the importance of actually acknowledging a person’s more negative characteristics:

In light of the complexity typical of love and the fact that lovers are often unwilling to face reality, self-deception and mistakes are likely to occur. We can be wrong in identifying the beloved's attitude, since the person can easily fake or hide it. We can also be wrong in identifying our own loving attitude, one reason being that sexual desire can be confused with romantic love. This is especially true in the first stages of romantic love when sexuality plays a dominant role. According to the troubadour tradition, the love test used in order to prevent such confusion among lovers is to spend a night in his mistress' arms without any sexual consummation. [8]

Conclusively, Cupid would rather use rose colored shades than a blindfold when he shoots for love.

The Point of it All like a Anthony Hamilton Song

            Clichés are cool statements that only go so far. “Catching flies with honey rather than vinegar” and “love is blind” were just two of the many clichés that people have a tendency to follow. Those two clichés are heavily used and misused on a daily basis. Like many other clichés, the cliché itself has its clear limitations. In the end, we all live real life; and real life has a tendency to not revolve around beautiful Barnes and Noble book banter.

‘Nuff said and ‘Nuff respect!!!