...Grierson referred to the documentary as a text that has ‘documentary value’(Grierson, 1926). Using this definition as a starting point, discuss whether ‘reality’ TV should be classified as a documentary. “We take television for granted in the same way as we take everyday life for granted.” (Silverstone, 2000) Reality television, being a mix of the two, is often an over-looked and disrespected television genre, as it can seem worthless and therefore worthy of the term ‘trash TV’. However it appears that reality television has started to take over our screens and is pushing other, more reputable genres out of the schedule. John Grierson is said to be the man who first coined the phrase ‘documentary’ and therefore documentarians often look back to his quotes and theories to be used as the bible for accepting or rejecting television shows into the genre. Grierson used the quote when he was evaluating Robert Flaherty’s film Moana. Flaherty, producer of Nanook of the North, used actors to portray the characters in the documentary rather than the people themselves, which conflicted with Grierson’s principles, arguing that using the real person in their original environment, “thus taken from the raw” are far better than a fictional alternative. However vague Grierson’s quote may seem, it is clear what he intended by it. The word ‘documentary’ comes from the Latin root ‘docere’, meaning to teach or instruct, however the more modern relation is to ‘document’, which is a factual record...
Words: 2389 - Pages: 10
...Reality Television Reality TV and its influence on the younger generation. A. Media has a huge impact on how people truly see themselves, particularly inWomen and young female teens. Reality television has made the standards ofBeauty quite high these days and there is a definite change in society’s viewon what is truly beautiful. Turning off the TV has become too hard when it comes to reality TV shows. 1. Turning into their favorite movie star is becoming more natural than ever. Skipping meals to look like the girl on the cover of the magazine keeps manyPeople wandering what other lengths girls will go to look like someone else.These reality TV shows are gruesome and harmful to one when they say, “Reality television is a relatively new fad in America that is sweeping thenetworks ratings and redefining programming altogether. Viewers cannotseem to get enough of the torture, embarrassment, temptation, and above all, drama of other regular, everyday people being placed in unrealistic settingsand manipulated for the world to see. Leaving an everlasting affect, these shows do a lot of damage. B. Children consider makeup a necessity at a younger age. Reality TV has caused an obsession that is unavoidable. It is a crude form of entertainment, but so many people watch...
Words: 402 - Pages: 2
...When discussing reality television there is much debate over whether or not it has a positive or negative impact on society. Currently there are so many different types of reality television programming, that it is hard to determine which side to be on. Some reality programming has merit and it is understandable why it would be broadcasted, but other reality programming just produces garbage that should not be on television or even put on the internet for that matter. There is a major difference between the two though. Good reality TV should be able to keep broadcasting, but shows that are produced on MTV, VH1, and other networks should be banned from television because it promotes stereotypes in relation to race, gender, and ethnicity. In today’s infinitely expanding world of technology it is becoming easier and easier to influence the minds of viewers with TV, therefore reality TV poses a dangerous threat to society and the way are thoughts are molded. However not all reality TV is bad and should not be punished for the programming that is damaging our society’s future by changing our views and thoughts. When talking about reality TV that has a bad influence and is dangerous to society the first thing that should put into someone’s mind is any programming that is on MTV. MTV produces mind altering and numbing shoes that create stereotypes for gender, race, and class. There biggest success and the most dangerous show of all is their most popular show the “Jersey Shore”...
Words: 928 - Pages: 4
...1) The three texts are all about reality television, and how far the boundaries can be pushed for the highest viewer ratings. Text 2: “When Reality TV Gets Too Real” is written by Jeremy W peters. The text is focusing on whether it’s the television station and the team behind the cameras that have the responsible for actions the participants may do to themselves or others such as a crime, while participating on the show. The show Intervention running on A&E is a great example of how the boundaries have been pushed. The show is about the life of those who suffer from addiction and their family. People on the edge make good television and therefore will the people behind the show push the boundaries as far as possible. Situations in these kinds of shows can get out of hand and the participants can become a danger to themselves or others, here is the question asked when is the crew obligated to step out from behind the camera and intervene. The crew is looked at as witnesses and by the law in the United States, witnesses are not obligated to step in and save people or stop a crime. Intervention’s creator Sam Mettler says “This is their life with me or whiteout me”. To make a case, the accusing party must have proof that the subjects were put in danger by a situation created from the programs side. Mr. Mettler has stepped up and stopped participants from harming themselves or others. The A&E senior vice president assures that if a person is in immediate danger, then that’s...
Words: 1079 - Pages: 5
...In the media, reality TV stars like Snooki and Kim Kardashian are on the rise. Most channels on television have at least one reality show, from following housewives to remodeling homes of real life families. However, there are some reality programs that display bad examples, especially for young audiences that are keeping up with each episode. On MTV people see girls being drunk in public, addicts doing drugs, and young girls raising babies at young ages; these are situations seen on reality TV shows. Jeremy W. Peters’ “When Reality TV Gets Too Real” and James Poniewozik’s “Why Reality TV is Good for us” inform readers about what the general public can view on television and how it affects the minds of children. Reality TV shows such as Jersey Shore, 16 and Pregnant, Intervention, and The Real World all are bad for kids because they show inappropriate and explicit behavior, they send a bad message, and they humiliate people. For these reasons, parents should make sure their kids do not get the wrong message of how life should be. Reality TV shows are inappropriate and explicit. In Jersey Shore, Italians are portrayed as partyers and classified as Guidos and Guidettes. Actual Italians are disgusted since they think it is an insult to their Italian culture. Furthermore on MTV, young girls can be seen struggling with teen pregnancy. The show 16 and Pregnant follows expectant teens and their partners at a young age with a baby on the way struggling to maintain basic needs for themselves...
Words: 1067 - Pages: 5
...Troy McCall N. Bullard ENC1101 Do people really benefit from reality shows? I. Sample shows Jersey shore and Real House Wives. A. Reality shows have a demoralizing effect. B. Portrays too many negative people on TV as role models II. Sample show 16 and pregnant. A. The attitudes of the teens on these shows. B. How does this affect today’s teens. Do people benefit from reality television shows? I think that reality shows are not good for people to watch all the time because of all the negative aspects of the shows they have on, such as The Real Housewives, Sixteen and Pregnant and Jersey Shore. Television shows have given way to reality shows. Are reality TV shows, reality or are they scripted? Jersey shore is a reality show about a group of eight individuals that move in together in a summer share. The show did advertisements in the begging that sparked controversy by Italian American’s when they used the term Guido. The show also portrays a negative side of things. The cast members in my opinion were snobbish and superficial. To teens they might think it’s the in thing to tan your body or wear promiscuous clothing out to party’s. Reality shows also promote drinking and smoking. Often people watch reality shows to see how other people live, but most reality shows are nothing but negative demoralizing shows that gives its viewers a false impression of how people should respond or converse with each other. There are three shows that...
Words: 271 - Pages: 2
...Kardashians, Teen Mom, Desperate Housewives, Love and Basketball, do any of these titles ring a bell? These are some of the most popular reality tv shows on air right now. These shows are glorified, the people in them are worshipped, and the lives they live many could only dream of having. But do these tv shows and tv personalitys really deserve all this admiration? I think not. Really, the stereotypes these shows promote are very dangerous. They promote certain body images, certain lifestyles, and an unrealistic and careless view of money. Many young people are very insecure about how they look, and seeing these reality tv stars with perfect bodies only makes them feel worse. Reality TV promotes that smaller is better. These ideas push teens to extreme lenghths to acheive this look. Anorexia, belimia and other eating disorders are a result of the dangerous unrealistic stereotypes shown on reality tv....
Words: 444 - Pages: 2
...In Salman Rushdie’s essay on reality TV, he argues that it is without substance, and will be the downfall of western society. He argues this by pointing out how young people are focused into their most controversial and awful traits. Contestants and stars are constantly trying to one-up each other in a competition of attention. People gobble up the content, going as far as to bring “Big Brother” to the front page of the tabloids during an important election. These are signs that indicate we are on a slippery slope, and eventually people will be willing to watch gladiatorial murder on TV, among other depraved things, to satisfy our need for controversy. This view of TV audiences, and the world of reality TV, is a shallow one. What Rushdie misses, is that Reality TV is a cheap form of entertainment, and it does not need to rise above the standard it is at now to keep making profits....
Words: 659 - Pages: 3
...The Harsh Reality about Reality Television Tasha Sutton ENG 122 English Composition II Instructor, Tina Santino March 28, 2013 The Harsh Reality about Reality Television What happen to the good old days when television programs had sweet, wholesome, honorable messages depicted to their viewer. Remember the sitcom, Family Matters, with Steve Erkel and the Winslow family. Brings a smile to your face, does it not? Television programs such as Family Matters, Saved by the Bell and Charles in Charge were great shows for every age. These shows, showed the viewer’s actors having a problem and how they solved it in a decent way that worked out for everyone. The audience knows that the characters are not real, but that does not change the message that they direct towards their viewers. Reality television is what is new and hip. The point of reality television is to make their viewers feel what they are seeing is indicative of everyday life. What most people do not realize is reality television is no different than a scripted, television show. Reality television caters to the negative emotions that make viewers want to see more television. Reality television programs are anything but wholesome. Reality television appeals more to our negative emotions and values, and has changed our viewing habits by decreasing family time and increasing television viewing times. These drastic changes that have occurred due to reality television has only changed society...
Words: 1672 - Pages: 7
...Harsh Reality TV Globalization is a reality. New technologies, such as TV and internet are being used every single minute all over the world. In the modern world, the media has a great impact on our lives. Among other things, television and internet keeps us updated with news from all over the world. But has Reality TV gone too far? And who are we to blame when young people’s behaviour are affected by it? “Harsh Reality TV” puts up a negative perspective of reality TV. The author L.B. Bozell states that the reason reality shows are so frequent is because the TV producers are more inclined to create cheap reality shows than expensive dramas. One of the greatest TV hits to this date is the TV-series “Friends”, which has cost Fox-TV 1 million dollars per episode for EACH of the six major characters. It is clear that Bozell feels that reality TV is more trouble than it is worth. He says that the shows are “cheap ego massage” (p. 11, l. 8) and “stupid (literally) shows” (l. 14), and he calls the participants “human camera fodder” (l. 6). He argues that today’s reality television is inappropriate for impressionable kids, such as his own seven-year-old son. Using statistics from a study made by the Parents Television Council, he explains that the overall rate of sex, foul language and violence in reality shows was 9,5 instances per hours. Most of today’s Reality TV shows are based on the fact that sex, dirty language and violence are much more interesting, when it is shown in genuine...
Words: 587 - Pages: 3
...What Reality Television Says About Modern Culture: Essay One The Merriam-Webster online dictionary defines reality television as “programming that features videos of actual occurrences.” Reality television has become an increasingly favorable genre of television shows, but society often fails to recognize how unrealistic these superficial shows have become. Many people enjoy reality television due to its ability of making viewers laugh, and step back from their own lives for a period of time. This television craze proves that modern culture has an altered view of reality, and has become progressively superficial due to the lack of education on the topic. Society claims that these shows are realistic, however they are often a scripted dramatization thriving to imitate real scenarios. Reality television allows viewers to escape the reality of their own lives because it is a removed way to experience emotions, and these shows that are supposedly “reality-based” are never filmed in a realistic setting. When viewers watch reality television, it offers them time to escape from the reality of their own lives. Producers carefully choose cast members that are diverse and represent a large population of society, to avoid criticism, but to also allow viewers to relate to at least one specific cast member. The average Canadian watches a show such as “Survivor” (which offers a one million dollar grand prize to the winner) and envies the superficial status that is temporarily given to...
Words: 1072 - Pages: 5
...Reality TV shows on children “Boys and girls alone” is a reality show aired in England in 2009. The protagonists, twenty boys and girls aged 8-11, live alone in two villages (one for the boys and one for the girls) without parents, and have to cook, clean, manage money, etc.,by themselves. In the texts I have been given to read, I am presented to three points of view about the show, from: Andrew Mackenzie, Head of Factual Entertainment at Channel 4, and one of the responsible for the making of “Boys and Girls Alone”. Dr. Richard House, Senior Lecturer in Psychotherapy. Audrey Scott, the mother of one of the kids in the show. In the first one, A. Mackenzie defends the show from criticism and explains that the children were “carefully chosen and screened by experts” and that they lived in a “protected environment with around-the-clock security during production”. He also claims that parents were allowed to withdraw their child at any time.All in all, he can only see positivity about the show. In the second one, Dr. R. House criticizes the show, and calls it “prurient Lord of the Flies sensationalism”. He disapproves of the whole concept, and goes as far as saying the show is equal child cruelty. He also urges Channel 4 to reveal the identity of the “experts” who chose and screened the children before going to the show, so they can enter into a public dialog. He is very critical about the culture in general as well, which he means to be superficial celebrity-obsessed...
Words: 868 - Pages: 4
...In this paper, I will argue that reality television shows are produced merely for entertainment purposes and not for vicarious living through the principals of frontiersmanship. While reality television programs do provide some form of education, it is up to the viewer to differentiate between the notable and poor aspects of the reality television star’s life. In the popular TV show Jersey Shore, the American reality television series that premiered on MTV in December 2009, eight housemates spend their summer in the Jersey Shore in New Jersey. The show is heavily based on an Italian-American stereotype referred to as “Guidos” and “Guidettes.” Every episode includes alcohol and drama, which are typically directly related to one another. Rather than viewing their actions as an example of how to live your life in an improper fashion, it’s the viewer’s responsibility to establish the differences between right and wrong. Reality television shows typically exceed social norms, to attract a large number of viewers. A program where people are paid to act in a certain, bad mannered behavior is more likely to attract an audience than a program of an average family performs average actions and lives an average life style. Since such lifestyles are usually unattainable to the average American, some people may tend to live their life vicariously through a television program. In Jersey Shore Season 1 (Season 1, Episode 4: “Fade To Black”), two of the characters in the episode, Paul DelVecchio...
Words: 814 - Pages: 4
...1: Reality or Hunger For Fame Reality Television: Consequences of Reality T.V on Society Reality television has become increasingly more popular and appears to be taking over the entertainment business. Psychologist Lawrence Rubin seems to think it all goes back to Aristotle and “The notion of being drawn to drama and tragedy” (Kinon, 2009). The viewer receives a false sense of “real life” and disconnects from their own “real life” by diving into someone else's. The effects that these television shows have on society as a whole can be positive or negative, depending on the message the show depicts. Shows such as “Jersey Shore”, “16 and Pregnant”, and “Dr. 90210” are a huge success to MTV, but could be considered detrimental to society by painting distorted pictures of reality in the viewer’s mind. Shows including “Extreme Home Makeover”, “Undercover Boss”, and “American Idol” can be considered to have a positive affect on society. These programs report the positive stories of the average, everyday person, inspiring the viewer. These shows reward well-mannered people doing amazing things around their community rather than rewarding poor behavior that is unacceptable to the everyday norms of our society. This discussion will convey the negative effects of reality television programs as well as the positive effects these programs have on society as a whole. We will also examine the steps marketers can do to take advantage of the high ratings of these reality shows to...
Words: 4013 - Pages: 17
...The attitude of today's youth are affected by television programs. 1.0 INTRODUCTION “Televiewing causes people to duplicate inappropriately, in other areas of their lives, behavior styles developed while watching television.” (Kottak, 1990, p.3) Television programs can be educational as well as entertaining. It can give people the opportunity to travel around the globe, expose them to new ideas that they might not have encountered from their community and also a chance to learn about different cultures. Pro-social messages from shows on television will give a positive impact on the behavior of today's youth. However, these youths are more likely to learn negative values from these television programs. Television has now become a debatable issue as some question its influences on the attitude and psychological development of today's youth. Nowadays, the world of television has been discovered by children at very young age. As we know, television is an effective educational tool. With programs showcasing wildlife, scientific theories etc, it helps these children to be broad-minded and also have a better understanding about the world around them. However, we have to remember and be aware that the television also is seem to posses more negative effects than positive ones. A day in a youth's life will generally be filled with activities such as playing with friends, reading, doing homework and being physically active but this can be easily replaced with the presence of television...
Words: 4840 - Pages: 20
