Reality shows - WAIT! Don't leave NOW, I was just getting started!
But first, let me preface this with a little bit of personal history.
My mother's parents were British Newfoundlanders who passed their notorious reputation for being cheap onto their children and, as such, Mom was a self-confessed Marketplace fanatic.
Let me explain.
Marketplace was a CBC television program which took a journalistic stroll into consumer watchdog stories. It started, I believe, in the 70s and carried on with many successful seasons. Apparently my mother wasn't the only person who loved it.
She even had a pen and pad in place beside her chair - yes, true to form, she had her chair - and, often took notes when some product or service was covered that caught her attention. She was a woman with a purpose; which was to never let another human being gain access to more than they deserved of her hard earned cash. Not such a bad place to be, in theory.
But, often, it caused her more grief than she has ever admitted to. Like, every time the local grocery store overcharged her, even as little as one cent, she would don her togs and tramp down to berate the management and get her cent back. Even in the coldest part of the wintertime. She was undaunted. I used to say to her that it seemed a bit much to waste all that time to regain one cent and she would purse her lips and tell me it was the point of the matter.
In similar fashion, when some new product came on the market, she would wait before purchasing it; sometimes for years. Even at the expense of going without something that would make her workday much easier.
Like the microwave oven for example.
I asked her why she didn't buy one when they first came out and her reply was she was waiting for manufacturers to get the bugs out and, of course, for the price to go down. And all along, I figured it was because she just couldn't afford it. A sort of sour grapes thing. You know what I mean.
And then there was the dryer. Good grief, the woman would hang clothes out on our clothesline, even in the dead of winter and her fingers would be chilled to the bone. Although I hafta admit, her determination to delay buying that dryer she finally caved in and got once I was in university in the early 80s - yes, she waited that long - brought out the inventor in her when she set up a little clothesline in our tiny basement and had my father put a fire on in the little pot belly stove. This was her backup when it rained or snowed heavily and it worked for years.
Right about now, you are wondering what the heck this has to do with reality shows. I'm getting there.
See, Mom taught me over the years, with her frugality, to never trust something when it was first released. The best approach, according to her, was to sit back and wait for others to come to the conclusion that this is not the best this thing could be. And I have applied that to my own life when it comes to similar ventures.
What I have discovered is, sometimes it actually has hurt me too. I can't even recall how many times that learned paranoia has prevented me from purchasing something that I really could not get at a better price and which I would only later regret taking advantage of. I digress...
But, recently, I have had the opportunity to apply it in a wider application and I have to say, my hats off to you, Mom, for having offered up those examples all those years ago.
And this brings me to Reality Shows. The proverbial wart on the nose of modern television programming.
When Survivor first came out, we didn't even have access to programming, so resisting the urge to watch was easy. And in this instance, as I was to learn in later years, ignorance really was bliss.
Don't get me wrong; we owned a television. Just didn't have cable or satellite. By choice. Our first child had just come along and I was determined not to expose him to anything harmful, like sugar or poor quality TV programs. Typical, overprotective Yuppie mentality. Guilty as charged.
Whenever I would go out in public, of course, I saw the magazines which told of these new attempts on behalf of tinsel town's writers to get the attention of bored watchers out here in la-la land. And my friends spoke about Survivor, among others, almost every time I saw them. I would have had to live in a bubble not to be aware of their sudden appearance on the scene.
The interesting thing was, whenever I would hear people talk about the show, I could not understand the fascination with it. I got it, immediately, that it featured wannabe acters who portrayed these competitors who would overcome any obstacles thrown at them to gain a prize of money; albeit, it was a substantial amount, which, under real circumstances, was certainly worth competing for, but, this was all fake so what was the point?
See, I knew instinctively that the show had to be loosely scripted and was sure to be trite, even bordering on the predictable. Which, as season after season has proven, is true. At least for anyone with the ability to form an original thought. And yet, many intelligent, creative people admitted to be hooked.
Here's where I scratch my head. Is anyone paying attention to this trend at all? I mean, how many copy cat shows have sprung up since its inception? There must be dozens. Given the fact they stay on, year after year, the ratings must be very high. Which translates to millions watching. Go figure.
Needless to say, even after having lightened up on my no television programming for our household rules, I have never had the inclination to watch an episode. Once I tuned in and couldn't even fake my attention span for more than two minutes. I mean, come ON!
Generally I have, pretty much, a live and let live attitude towards stuff like this. It may not be for me but I can usually understand why someone else might enjoy it. But on this issue I draw the line.
I believe there are absolutely no redeeming qualities in these types of programs. Not even for the entertainment challenged. The bugs just aren't out yet.
One of these days, we are going to corporately wake up and conclude that we have been duped and went along with it anyway, to our great humiliation.
Then, maybe, the major networks will move on to something better and I will have been avenged.
Thanks Mom!
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