Reality Television: Oxymoron

By: Kari Duddeck

In the article Reality Television: Oxymoron by George F. Will he describes the workings of television and the ways that television has morphed over the years. According to George F. Will television is all about imitation. In order to make "good" television people create television shows off of other television shows and each time they put a spin on it to make it more and more interesting and shocking. George F. Will also argues that we are becoming more and more desensitized. Television shows are increasing the amount of violence, sexuality, and degradation and at the same time people aren't as easily shocked as the once were. We have become so desensitized that it is becoming harder and harder to take viewers by surprise so television producers just continue adding more and more violence, sexuality, and degrading material.

One of George F. Will's main points is the fact that television is all about imitation. One of the examples in the article was the television show Fear Factor. Fear Factor was created based on the MTV show Jackass. Fear Factor takes the basic concept of Jackass and adds different twists, not to mention money, to gain viewers and participants. Another great example of television imitation is the NFL versus the XFL. NBC recently created the XFL. The XFL took the main concept of the NFL and promised that viewers would see more violence and more cheerleaders' breasts. Another one of George F. Will's main points is that the shock factor is harder to achieve. The idea of imitation is what brings about the added shock factor. Because shows are imitated producers have to add more twists to make them different and prove to the television viewers that it is worth watching. In order to provide the needed shock factor television shows are adding more sexuality, violence, and degrading material. Because we have seen so much imitation and even more shock factor we are becoming desensitized and it is getting harder and harder to shock us. As an added twist more and more television shows are providing a monetary reward if participants follow through with the television shows stunts or answer their embarrassing and brutally honest questions.

In the article Watching TV Makes You Smarter by Steven Johnson, he argues that it takes more brain power to decode and think through some of the shows that are on today. George F. Will would argue that even if the television shows deal with more complicated concepts and it takes more brain power to pick up on the humor, those television shows are also contributing to our desensitized nature. George F. Will would argue that people can use their brains and think through shows without having to witness the extra sexual material or watch a scene from 24 where the secretary of defense authorizes the torture of his own son to uncover evidence of a terrorist plot.

In the article Thinking Outside the Idiot Box by Dana Stevens, Stevens argues that Steven Johnson's article was a weak argument. George F. Will would agree with the argument that Stevens makes. Stevens argues that the new complicated television shows don't necessarily make people use their brain and think outside the box. Television viewers start thinking about what is going to happen on the show next time. People don't watch certain television shows for the brain stimulation, they watch it for entertainment and because it is what is popular today.

Works Cited

Johnson, Steven. “Watching TV Makes You Smarter.” They Say I Say. Comp. Gerald Graff, Cathy Birkenstein, Russel Durst. New York: W.W. Norton and Company, 2009. Print

Stevens, Dana. "Thinking Outside the Idiot Box." The Say I Say. Como. Gerald Graff, Cathy Birkenstein, Russel Durst. New York: W. W. Norton and Company, 2009. Print

Will, George F. "Reality Television: Oxymoron." They Say I Say. Comp. Gerald Graff, Cathy Birkenstein, Russel Durst. New York: W.W. Norton and Company, 2009. Print