{"id":7207,"date":"2017-03-14T06:37:08","date_gmt":"2017-03-14T10:37:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/intramuralist.com\/?p=7207"},"modified":"2017-03-14T06:37:08","modified_gmt":"2017-03-14T10:37:08","slug":"reality","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/intramuralist.com\/?p=7207","title":{"rendered":"reality?"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"bree-bigelow-204694\"<\/a><\/p>\n

For 18 years, the host began by asking the primarily female audience, \u201cWould you<\/strong> like to be queen for a day?\u201d<\/em> And for the next 30\/45 minutes, \u201cQueen for a Day\u201d ran on radio, then NBC Television, and on ABC Television, beginning in 1945.<\/p>\n

Host Jack Bailey would engage with multiple contestants, as they shared the uniqueness of their individual circumstances, publicly sharing their financial and emotional plight. The more dramatic and dire the straits, the more intense and sustaining was the audience applause meter. The audience applause meter would then lead to the chosen \u201cqueen.\u201d<\/p>\n

Donned with a crown, robe, and throne, with roses an apt gifted decor and \u201cPomp and Circumstance\u201d played in the background, the winner\u2019s typical tears were drowned out seemingly only by the announcement of a plethora of prizes. To quote the host in his trademark sign-off: “This is Jack Bailey, wishing we could make every<\/strong> woman a queen, for every single day!”<\/em><\/p>\n

Friends, welcome to the onset of reality TV.<\/p>\n

\u201cReality TV\u201d is the television genre featuring real-life situations and supposedly real-life people \u2014 not actors (\u2026 ok\u2026 one can decide for themselves if any of the Kardashian\u2019s mimic real life\u2026).<\/em> What takes place is arguably unscripted (\u2026 granted, any regular reality viewer will acknowledge a key suspicion of some moments that are far too uncanny to be totally authentic).<\/em><\/p>\n

While \u201cQueen for a Day\u201d may have been the beginning of this unique, far-cheaper-to-produce format, reality TV gained steam in the early 90\u2019s in Europe, and then in the U.S. in the late 90\u2019s, as MTV\u2019s \u201cThe Real World,\u201d CBS\u2019s \u201cSurvivor,\u201d and all the musical \u201cIdols,\u201d biggest somethings, etc. spurred the format on. A whole new genre became accepted television viewing.<\/p>\n

My sense is there is no issue in the format being acceptable; the issue is in the acceptance of the television being reality.<\/p>\n

It makes this current events, cultural observer wonder\u2026<\/p>\n

Are there places we are unknowingly mistaking circumstances, reactions, and relationships as something other than they actually are? Are we thinking something is real that is not?<\/p>\n

\u201cFear Factor\u201d used to seemingly pride itself in creating the most grotesque eating challenge possible. FOX\u2019s \u201cTemptation Island\u201d used to divide actual couples into two locales, filling them each with multiple persons willing to aid in their potential, adulterous stray.<\/p>\n

If we accept each somehow as \u201creality,\u201d does that mean it’s acceptable and honorable human behavior?<\/p>\n

Even as a semi-frequent viewer, \u201cSurvivor\u201d sometimes reminds me of those grade school kickball days, where there was that punch-in-the-gut feeling for the unpicked kid left standing on the sidelines. And \u201cBig Brother\u201d \u2014 geepers<\/em> \u2014 I really don\u2019t need to watch any person 24\/7\u2026 and if I do, I\u2019m ok if they have a little more clothes on.<\/p>\n

My point this day is not to knock reality television. Truth told, my household tends to find many such series quite entertaining. My concern instead is where are these pockets and places where we confuse what\u2019s on TV with reality? Because it\u2019s not\u2026 TV\u2019s not\u2026 TV\u2019s not always good and true and right\u2026 much less even acceptable. My sense, therefore, is that reality TV is totally, completely, unfortunately, inaccurately named.<\/p>\n

Last night, by the way, was the conclusion of ABC\u2019s \u201cThe Bachelor.\u201d This was their 21st season, of one man \u2014 or one woman \u2014 choosing between seemingly three zillion, desiring others. Which one would be their soulmate? Which one could he\/she propose to? \u201cReal love\u201d is the pursuit\u2026 real love is the answer\u2026 real love.<\/p>\n

Noted, veteran contestant Nick selected beautiful Vanessa to be the one\u2026 she wins!!<\/em> And Nick proposed!<\/em> They\u2019re in love!!<\/em><\/p>\n

I\u2019m so happy! It was so sweet, so wonderful\u2026 no doubt they\u2019ll make it! I love reality!<\/p>\n

(\u2026 ok\u2026 so I hope it is\u2026)<\/em><\/p>\n

Respectfully\u2026
\nAR<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

For 18 years, the host began by asking the primarily female audience, \u201cWould you like to be queen for a day?\u201d And for the next 30\/45 minutes, \u201cQueen for a Day\u201d ran on radio, then NBC Television, and on ABC Television, beginning in 1945. Host Jack Bailey would engage with multiple contestants, as they shared … <\/p>\n

Continue reading “reality?”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[402],"class_list":["post-7207","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-current-issue","tag-the-bachelor"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/intramuralist.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7207","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/intramuralist.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/intramuralist.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/intramuralist.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/intramuralist.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=7207"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/intramuralist.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7207\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7211,"href":"https:\/\/intramuralist.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7207\/revisions\/7211"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/intramuralist.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=7207"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/intramuralist.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=7207"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/intramuralist.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=7207"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}