Documentary Arcades Project

7-49 and Up: First reality program

I came away extremely impressed with the 7 and up series and felt the guest speaker asked some interesting questions, such as whether this could be achieved in the united states. I personally think there is no way this could happen in the united states because our society tends to vault reality cast memebers to a celebrity status. I am constantly amazed at the staying power of some of these reality "stars" and it seems like many of them have been able to bounce from reality show to reality show. This makes me ask, just what heck do these people do for a living besides appear on reality shows? Mtv is a prime example imo, if you get selected to road rules or real world you are almost guaranteed to appear on the gauntlet or the inferno. Virtually all of these shows shower cast members with luxurious accomadations and gifts, again reinforcing that the viewer is watching anything but reality. People may argue that it is still reality, but I think its more like watching someone who has just won the lottery rather than watching someone function in society without any assistance from the reality show itself. Perhaps what I liked the most about the 7 and up series is that the people were left to live their lives without any assistance. Some of the people said they had gained popularity and their appearance on the show did open some doors, but it seemed minimal compared to what happens to our reality stars.

posted by ORTONRA @ 12:28 PM