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The menace that is “Reality” Show



I tend to classify the generations based on the media that one grew up with. My mother is from the Radio era where people would sit around the radio to listen to their favorite song or the drama. I grew up watching the “First Channel” of the Doordarshan and the “Second channel” was a luxury. Then, My jaws would drop in awe when the visiting  cousins from the distant lands speak about 40 channels for News alone. The 90’s  saw the explosion of the satellite television so much so that , suddenly, the visiting cousins began  deviating the topic when we start discussing about the Television. All this has  led to the genY that my daughter is growing up in ,of what I call as the “Reality” show generation.
I first came to know about the reality shows after the ungraceful episode involving  Shilpa Shetty in the Big Brother show.Later, I lost the sympathy for her after knowing the riches that she reaped at the show. Nowadays the Reality shows are so rampant that they have emerged as the  latest scourge of the TV replacing its evil cousin  The Soaps (Mega Serials as they call it).Reality shows are every where : Song & Dance shows, Game & Talk Shows ,Quiz & Debate shows. My problem with the Reality show being that I feel they are enacting a farce on the hapless viewer. I guess there could  be a problem on my part, as my wife calls me poker faced with distinct lack of ability to understand emotions let alone expressing it.
Anyway, I become hyper tensed seeing the range of negative emotions being spewed in the Reality shows…Shock & Awe being the  strategy for getting on top of the TRP ratings. The unique facet of the reality show being that Contestants, Judges & Comperes alike get a chance to participate in the melodrama slugfest. Due to this reason alone reality shows are here to stay ,unless there is another disruptive innovation in Television Programming .Until then I would have to admit one positive influence of Reality show on me..It has reduced the time I watch TV nowadays as compared to the good old Doordarshan days …and do some better stuff like writing a blog post about Reality Shows…