The Pseudo Reality We Live In
Flipping through the channels last night, and stopping to watch 5 minutes of one show and 2 minutes of the next, I contemplated about how what is duped "reality TV" is not at all reality. But it is this pseudo reality protrayed on TV that we base our reality on. While spending a good 15-20 minutes on Doctor 90210 and listening to a 18 year old girl's story about why she needed bigger boobs, I came to understand that people idolize what they see on TV and bring those expectations into the real world, making it next to impossible to live up to those expectations.
One of my favorite TV shows on right now is The Bachelor. This is the show where one man is the Bachelor and he chooses from 25 women, one of which he will propose to at the end of 6 weeks, cutting people every week. While he is dating these women, he takes them on exquisite dates, including helicopter rides, jetting setting across the country (Jason is took three girls to New Zealand this week), private concerts, elaborate dinners, among other romantic dates. As a bonus, often times the women get to pick out their outfits from a very expensive store and even are given the opportunity to wear jewelry on their date worth more than some people's life savings.
The Bachelor brings up the classic debate over whether money can buy love. It can be so easy to fall for someone who wines and dines you, takes you on divine dates, romances you, whats not to love? So you fall head over heels for him. Then later, we, the audience, find out that The Bachelor and his new fiancee (who he proposed to after 6 weeks of "dating" along with 25 other women) have broken up. Should it be such a shock? But they seemed perfect for each other! After all was said and done, the divine dates over, the competition has ended, and each person's true personalities shine through, most bachelor/ettes, about 95% of them, cannot manage a relationship with their chosen sweetheart in the real world.
I would like to propose a new reality TV idea: it's the same concept of The Bachelor, but instead of hot and steamy romantic dates week after week, put them through unbelievably difficult situations week after week. Then, I believe, we would see a more true representation of how the Bachelor's personality matches or clashes with the contestants. Isn't it through the hardest times when the love needs to be the strongest?
The Bachelor and shows like it give women an unrealistic expectation of romance and love. Money cannot buy love because all the money in the world can't make two people connect emotionally. Sure, money can help provide distractions, but it cannot help form an emotional bond between two people. You need to know beyond a doubt that the person you love will be there for you in the darkest hour and through the deepest pain. So, when Melissa or Molly or Jillian say they are in love with Jason, are they thinking of 10 years down the road when the worst possible nightmare could become a reality? Will The Bachelor be perfect then?
One of my favorite TV shows on right now is The Bachelor. This is the show where one man is the Bachelor and he chooses from 25 women, one of which he will propose to at the end of 6 weeks, cutting people every week. While he is dating these women, he takes them on exquisite dates, including helicopter rides, jetting setting across the country (Jason is took three girls to New Zealand this week), private concerts, elaborate dinners, among other romantic dates. As a bonus, often times the women get to pick out their outfits from a very expensive store and even are given the opportunity to wear jewelry on their date worth more than some people's life savings.
The Bachelor brings up the classic debate over whether money can buy love. It can be so easy to fall for someone who wines and dines you, takes you on divine dates, romances you, whats not to love? So you fall head over heels for him. Then later, we, the audience, find out that The Bachelor and his new fiancee (who he proposed to after 6 weeks of "dating" along with 25 other women) have broken up. Should it be such a shock? But they seemed perfect for each other! After all was said and done, the divine dates over, the competition has ended, and each person's true personalities shine through, most bachelor/ettes, about 95% of them, cannot manage a relationship with their chosen sweetheart in the real world.
I would like to propose a new reality TV idea: it's the same concept of The Bachelor, but instead of hot and steamy romantic dates week after week, put them through unbelievably difficult situations week after week. Then, I believe, we would see a more true representation of how the Bachelor's personality matches or clashes with the contestants. Isn't it through the hardest times when the love needs to be the strongest?
The Bachelor and shows like it give women an unrealistic expectation of romance and love. Money cannot buy love because all the money in the world can't make two people connect emotionally. Sure, money can help provide distractions, but it cannot help form an emotional bond between two people. You need to know beyond a doubt that the person you love will be there for you in the darkest hour and through the deepest pain. So, when Melissa or Molly or Jillian say they are in love with Jason, are they thinking of 10 years down the road when the worst possible nightmare could become a reality? Will The Bachelor be perfect then?