I had a discussion with a reporter from a German newspaper last week. She was interested in the American take on Reality TV—specifically about humiliation and debasement as a form of entertainment. She asked, should there be similar legislation against public humiliation as there is against profanity, sexual and violent content? I hadn’t really given it a lot of thought, frankly, and this was a good excuse to do so. It is important to point out that “reality TV” isn’t really “reality.” Reality TV is contrived and controlled through editing, scripting, stunts to elevate the conflict and emotion by producers, film editors, writers, sets, and the participants themselves. Everyone who goes on the Jerry Springer Show, the Dr. Phil show, Big Brother or Celebrity Detox has seen the shows. They know what the shows are like and they know what to expect. I don’t think this is a big secret. Like Wrestlemania, it is contrived reality to function as … [Read more...]