Why don't I like so-called "reality" or "actuality" TV shows? Because they're mean. They are
intended
to be mean, because "mean" is entertaining to some segments of the audience, and that scares me. Throwing Christians to the lions and watching gladiators fight to the death used to be considered wonderful entertainment in ancient times. And while I'm not comparing actually
killing
someone with humiliating and demeaning them, there is a continuum here. Christians and slaves didn't volunteer to become fodder for death to those eating popcorn in the stands. The people on TV do volunteer to put themselves in situations which contribute to the demise of public taste, humane behavior, compassion and sensitivity. They humiliate themselves for attention and profit. That they volunteer for it doesn't make doing it to them right. It just makes them terribly pathetic. When people go on an "
American Idol
"-like program in the hopes of being discovered for their talents, a simple "winning" or "losing" seems sufficient to me. However, having judges who become popular by hurling horrendously insulting comments seems to be the real motivation for these programs. Hurting people in front of others is an egregious act. Televising it, or making money off of sponsors who support it, so that people at home can feel superior and powerful (because they're
not
the ones being attacked) is purely disgusting. These shows bring out the worst in people. Martians watching our entertainment media would probably choose not to come to our planet, or else just wipe us off the face of the galaxy, because of how humanity displays itself on television (much less the Internet and the United Nations). No one is ashamed anymore. They pass it off as giving the audience what it wants. "It's only TV," or "it's only a way to make a living," they say. Sad.
