I don't think you are alone in your beliefs at how unREAListic The Real World has gotten. But I guess a prerequisite to living in The Real World means you live in a rent-free, poshly-designed, refurbished mansion in the middle of an equally trendy metro district. After all, when your environment is one of these gems, your per diem to partying Monday through Sunday shouldn't be wasted on writing plays. The faulty premise that The Real World was ever real is REAL BS.
However, I have a similar takeaway from watching - arguably - the most influential show of the last 25 years. I started to notice how unrelatable the characters/contestants/lab rats were becoming right around the Hawaii season. That seemed to be the season when the drunken house bonding episode became a season-long, arching storyline. After that season, I think the show became a complete satire of itself.
Still, the values that the producers, directors, editors, and lab rats have been hammering away at ever since that turning point season are aligned right there with Gen Y's excesses - remember, Gen Y is a byproduct of the Reagan Era. Risky behavior, material worship, promiscuous sex, low self-esteem, failed relationships. Each of these facets is supplemented by the Gen Y RWers access to flat screen TVs, the well-stocked bar next to the kitchen or maybe even the hot tub which is already conveniently bubbling the moment the first cast member enters the back patio. But at least the Gen X Real Worlders whined about their feelings and broken homes while also trying to find their way in this maze of a country: Judd's cartoonist quest, Mike's NASCAR ambitions, and Neil's or Mohammed's bands. While all of these careers weren't an accurate sampling of what our middle class, cubicle nation does day after day, it did make for some interesting discussions and scenarios.
One of the key differences between the Gen Xer and Gen Yer Real World Eras is the introduction of a producer-instated plot twist having the cast work together on a project/task. So while the Gen X RWers were trying to discover who they were, as unconventional as their occupations might have been, the Gen Y RWers were comfortably assimilating to society-at-large and being knighted opportunities the Gen Xers were trying to earn.
Reality TV is de/evolving in a direction I don't think I can relate to. To put it lightly: If I ever get as pathetic as selling lemonade to Wall Street bankers so I can work for an ego-maniacal New York real estate mogul known as 'The Donald,' please feel free to bludgeon me to death as I sleep. You know the anti-Christ is alive and well when primetime TV is being ruled by the Gotti kids, a mega-phone shouting landscaper named Ty, and Paris Hilton. Oh yes, the anti-Christ is alive and well and his name is Mark Burnett.
On a side note, I might recommend you read an incredibly well-thought out chapter from the social critic Chuck Klosterman's book, “Sex, Drugs and Cocoa Puffs” wher
Sorry, last paragraph got cut off:
On a side note, I might recommend you read an incredibly well-thought out chapter from the social critic Chuck Klosterman's book, “Sex, Drugs and Cocoa Puffs” where he asserts the moment The Real World became unreal was Pedro entering the house and Puck leaving it (although, banishment, is more like it). It's very interesting stuff and a complete antithesis to your argument. I would divulge you further with his points, but alas, I'll leave it up to you to consider checking it out sometime.
Good choices in books by the way. Recently my TV just died, and you know what's sad? I am not even sorry I couldn't watch TV because I actually did stuff that I needed to do! What a novel concept.
Thanks for the comments. Unfortunately for me David, I think I might miss my television a great deal were it to dissapear from my life! Although its ability to numb both the soul and mind seem evident, I find that I still learn a great deal from an admittedly entertaining medium. For all the junk that's on television, I have begun to appreciate how sophisticated TV can be if done correctly. Check out a new book called Everything Bad is Good for You in which the author makes the case that popular culture, far from deteriorating the collective intellect, has actually sharped our minds! Good stuff!
Shaun, I was so glad to read your comments. One thing I love about my friend Shaun is that when he writes, I can hear his voice in my mind as if we were having a conversation. It's rare for someone to communicate with so much passion and personality in writing and speaking. I will definitely check out the book, but I must disagree with one thing. I am a sucker for just about anything Mark Burnett does except The Apprentice. I love Survivor and The Contender was wickedly awesome television. So, please, avoid lambasting this bastion of reality-TV creativity!
Re: Everything Bad is Good For You - I've heard alot of great stuff about that book. Definitely going to check it out when I get the chance.
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