My Dysfunctional Relationship with Reality Television

Thomas Hobbes believed life was "nasty, brutish and short." He believed man was in a constant state of war with other men around him and that each sought only his own selfish gain. And he had never even seen reality television.

Let me admit this at the outset: I watch reality TV. It's a guilty pleasure. I get swept up just like the 10 million other viewers when I watch Survivor. I like the physical competitions and the solitude of the island. I like that they have to survive on their own and that the program tests the contestants physically, mentally and emotionally. And ok, I like that they choose attractive women.

I'm acutely aware that 99 percent of it is fake and much of it is sketched out early on. You can't tell me they don't edit people to come across in a positive or negative light. Reality TV is still revenue-based and you had better believe that producers are testing for who screens well and who will generate viewers. But the 1 percent of the programs that is genuine allows us to gaze into the psyche of our shared culture more accurately than via any alternative medium. And that vision is frightening.

To illustrate my point, we'll use my favorite of these shows, Survivor. This is not only because of my personal preference; it is also because Survivor was the first reality show to test the waters of the programming and it remains the most popular show today. There are numerous substitutes: Project Runway, Big Brother, The Biggest Loser (which I just recently discovered wasn't about people who are losers), all the stuff on MTV and Hell's Kitchen are just a few examples of this now common genre. Still, Survivor was first and we should honor its position in the annals of television history.

The premise of the first season was that the participants would all be marooned on an island, where they would form a tribe and try to "survive" for 42 days. They weren't actually in any real danger, but they had to survive without the comforts of modern amenities. You could learn a lot about yourself while living on an island, fending for yourself and trying to work with a group to keep yourself fed and alive. As the tribe voted people off the island one by one, they seemed to be truly sorry that their companions were leaving. Here 16 people had come together to share a common goal and to show us all that people from different walks of life and with opposing lifestyles could coexist peaceable and even amicably together. Until it started getting close to the end. Then people manipulated and maneuvered to situate themselves in the best position to take home the million dollar prize. Subsequent seasons (I believe they are on season 19) have had their share of noble and ignoble players alike, but primarily what you see is the nasty, brutish nature of humanity being played out over a 16 week fall season. And I love it.

Sort of. Because, at the same time, I cannot stand what has become of television: The inundation in tales of lies, deceit, betrayal and corruption is almost too much. How many times on a reality show has the hero been bested by the villain, or worse, become the villain himself? Too many for me. Besides, none of these shows are actually meant to be true social commentaries. Aaron Sorkin and David Simon would kill the guy who came up with reality television if they had the chance. It's a genre that makes us brainless, dumb and desensitized. And when a show does come around that actually challenges us to think and to interact with what we are watching, people are repulsed. They just want to be mindlessly entertained.

For example, Sorkin's most recent brainchild, and a pretty good critique on the state of network television, Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, was cut short because of low viewership. The network, NBC, replaced it with another season of Fear Factor or some similar such nonsense. We're not getting The West Wing on network television anymore, and even on HBO we probably won't see something like The Wire again anytime soon. We're back to baseless dumb comedy that either lacks a message or presents it in such an obvious manner that Cletus the slack-jawed yokel from The Simpsons would have no problem picking up on it. We're at a place where 30 Rock and The Office are winning more awards than any other show. Two humorous shows, but also two shows without gravitas.

Reality television has led us to this place. American Idol? The Bachelor? Come on. We're living vicariously through people who are just like us.

I like Survivor. Some nights I like to be entertained without having to think. But not every night. And not at this price.