# Reality TV: When will people stop caring? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [February 27, 2003, 5:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reality-tv-when-will-people-stop-caring/157828 "2003-02-27T05:06:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![World\_Eater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f04885/32.png) [@World\_Eater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/World_Eater)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2003, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reality-tv-when-will-people-stop-caring/157828/21 "2003-02-27T19:28:40Z")
Don’t forget Star Search. ---
**Author:** ![Intaglio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/71e660/32.png) [@Intaglio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Intaglio)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2003, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reality-tv-when-will-people-stop-caring/157828/22 "2003-02-27T23:27:06Z")
I never watch(ed) these Reality Shows, it’s not Reality - it’s made up, not scripted like traditional shows. I hope these shows go away soon. I did watch Who Wants To Be A Millionaire - but that was a Game Show, I actually considered trying to be on that show, I have Trivia/Broad Knowledge and thought i could do pretty well, plus I could use the money. ---
**Author:** ![clayton\_e](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c57346/32.png) [@clayton\_e](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/clayton_e)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2003, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reality-tv-when-will-people-stop-caring/157828/23 "2003-02-28T01:17:10Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by In Conceivable \* > \*\*Perhaps you should be in charge of what is allowed on the TV. > \*\* Ok… Scroll up… yup… all the way to the top… right where it says what forum we’re in. Read that one out loud… **In My Humble Opinion** , right? That is **in his humble opinion**. Maybe you should be in charge of what thread topics can be started here. ---
**Author:** ![Giraffe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giraffe/32/129_2.png) [@Giraffe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giraffe)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2003, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reality-tv-when-will-people-stop-caring/157828/24 "2003-02-28T01:21:31Z")
By the way – for people who feel the need to emphasize that Reality TV is not in fact reality, allow me to just say: Well, duh. We all know that. We’re not watching it solely because we think it exactly represents real life. That’s what nude teen web cams are for. ---
**Author:** ![Palve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a698b9/32.png) [@Palve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Palve)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2003, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reality-tv-when-will-people-stop-caring/157828/25 "2003-02-28T01:36:29Z")
I luckily avoided the whole reality television fad because I stopped watching TV about a year ago. Now I only watch it very seldomly. Unfortunately, it seems a sizable amount of people with whom I correspond on a daily basis are into this particular genre of music, and I can’t help noticing that it’s like a drug to them. They just have to catch the next episode, and when it’s over they have to discuss it with all their friends. I can’t follow the conversation or have anything to contribute to it, nor do I find these conversations interesting in the least bit. Why should I care who sang better than whom or who got kicked off the island? I don’t know these people, they don’t know me and their actions have no impact on my life whatsoever. Whatever happened to the times people would talk about people they knew and things that affected them? I think I’ll rank reality television up with tabloids, nuclear arms and John Ashcroft on the list of reasons I’ve lost my faith in humanity and civilization. ---
**Author:** ![clayton\_e](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c57346/32.png) [@clayton\_e](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/clayton_e)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2003, 3:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reality-tv-when-will-people-stop-caring/157828/26 "2003-02-28T03:55:55Z")
**Palve!** You’re back! ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2003, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reality-tv-when-will-people-stop-caring/157828/27 "2003-02-28T04:01:53Z")
\*\* > [@](#): > > I don’t know these people, they don’t know me and their actions have no impact on my life whatsoever. Whatever happened to the times people would talk about people they knew and things that affected them?\*\* You know, I feel that way when I listen to people talk about sports. I think that similarity to sports is why a lot of us enjoy realiity TV. Someone once said (and I’m trying to do a real quick trip through SDMB before going to bed, so I’m not going to stop and google it) that sports is the only form of entertainment where you go and never know how it’s going to end. In reality TV, you get to watch people interacting under certain arbitrary, artificial parameters (as in sports), and you don’t know how it’s going to end (as in sports). We find it fascinating because we find people fascinating. I personally am a real sucker for the genre – but my favorite shows are the competitions that are about human relationships, like “Survivor” and “Amazing Race” (my absolute favorite), as well as the marriage shows – I’ve never seen “American Idol” and am not that interested in it. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2003, 4:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reality-tv-when-will-people-stop-caring/157828/28 "2003-02-28T04:37:26Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Jinx \* > \*\*Foremost, how is it possible that a group of women can follow some pseudo-millionaire without ever hearing a TV or radio ad plugging how the whole thing is fake?!?! \*\* And yet another SDMBer has apparently never heard of the concept of “film.” I don’t think you should be questioning the intelligence of others until you become aware of at least a few 20th century inventions. Here’s a question: **Why is “reality TV” any worse than any other form of TV?** It’s just fun. No worse than playing Super Mario Bros. or watching MASH reruns. ---
**Author:** ![SmackFu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/53a042/32.png) [@SmackFu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmackFu)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2003, 5:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reality-tv-when-will-people-stop-caring/157828/29 "2003-02-28T05:35:43Z")
> [@](#): > > _Originally posted by Palve \* > \*\* Whatever happened to the times people would talk about people they knew and things that affected them?_\* This isn’t unique to reality TV at all. Remember Seinfeld? ---
**Author:** ![In\_Conceivable](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/4bbf92/32.png) [@In\_Conceivable](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/In_Conceivable)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2003, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reality-tv-when-will-people-stop-caring/157828/30 "2003-02-28T14:03:20Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by clayton\_e \* > \*\*Ok… Scroll up… yup… all the way to the top… right where it says what forum we’re in. Read that one out loud… **In My Humble Opinion** , right? That is **in his humble opinion**. > > Maybe you should be in charge of what thread topics can be started here. \*\* Don’t be dense. I didn’t say he couldn’t start the thread. But when he calls millions of people stupid just because of what they like to watch on television he should expect some people to object. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![UnwrittenNocturne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/6de8d8/32.png) [@UnwrittenNocturne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UnwrittenNocturne)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2003, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reality-tv-when-will-people-stop-caring/157828/31 "2003-02-28T14:11:19Z")
I never cared in the first place. Bread and Circuses would be a good description, but each to their own right ---
**Author:** ![Gorgon\_Heap](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/f475e1/32.png) [@Gorgon\_Heap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gorgon_Heap)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2003, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reality-tv-when-will-people-stop-caring/157828/32 "2003-02-28T15:08:39Z")
**In Conceivable** , guess what? Millions of people are stupid. Deal with it. Now, I have never gotten into these shows. I have not watched them. The closest I’ve come is catching some of those “Sorority Life” episodes on a Sunday when I was bored to tears. Of course, it was funny as hell when they all got plastered, so I can deal. Something I only noticed last night was just how _many_ of these damned shows there are. I had the TV on last night (as I usually do when I’m reading - I like background noise) and at one point I decided to check out the lower channels to see what was on. Reality shows. On. Every. Channel. I couldn’t believe it. They are so pervasive you can’t really avoid them even if you want to. ---
**Author:** ![In\_Conceivable](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/4bbf92/32.png) [@In\_Conceivable](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/In_Conceivable)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2003, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reality-tv-when-will-people-stop-caring/157828/33 "2003-02-28T17:54:10Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Gorgon Heap \* > \*\ ***In Conceivable** , guess what? Millions of people are stupid. Deal with it. > \*\* Why are you being such a jerk? You really think that millions of people are stupid because of what they like to watch on television? ---
**Author:** ![clayton\_e](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c57346/32.png) [@clayton\_e](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/clayton_e)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2003, 3:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reality-tv-when-will-people-stop-caring/157828/34 "2003-03-04T03:41:58Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by In Conceivable \* > \*\*Why are you being such a jerk? > \*\* For further reference: don’t do that. That is really kinda pathetic. And yes, the idiot box does make people stupid. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reality-tv-when-will-people-stop-caring/157828.md?page=1)