Real Life vs Reality

So…we knew this day was coming. Here Comes Honey Boo Boo was shown in class. My life is over. But seriously, there is a reason I avoid channels like TLC, Discovery Channel, and even now the History Channel. Nothing is sacred. The HISTORY CHANNEL is subject to these "reality television shows." It's upsetting.

So where does this leave us? Between a very hard place and very large rock. As a society, we crave to see how the "other side" lives. So we get Honey Boo Boo, The "Real" Housewives, and Moonshines…or something. And it varies from what I would consider real life.

 Because as much as we'd like to think we are better than this media showcase, we fall into this trap. And sometimes we can't get out. Because people keep watching these shows.

Case and point!

My little sister is obsessed with 16 and Pregnant (don't even get me started). She watched it from the beginning (when she was like 12). And over the years, she got it into her teeny, tiny head that getting pregnant at 16 was fine. You get a television show, what more could you want. Yeah, needless to say, that show is no longer allowed in our house anymore. But obviously, we know that these teenage moms aren't living it up like they seem. Yeah, the fighting might be real (and only slightly exaggerated), but some of them have like really nice cars, and are going to college, and shopping whenever they feel like. I can tell you that is not what my sister's life would have been like if she got pregnant. So this is how our society is falling into the trap of Reality vs Real Life.

And I agree with the point brought up in class today, these people are signing a contract. They are willingly putting themselves in these situations.

My guilty pleasure, Dance Moms, has become almost too dramatic for me to watch anymore. In fact, I'm like 5 episodes behind because of that. I can't tell you how many time Kelly has pulled her daughters from the dance studio….but the next episode here she is again. She is always claiming she can't stand to put her children through the trauma…but here she is. And it's because of a contract. And on the the reunion show, it is brought up that she could break her contract, but she won't. I'm assuming the money is to good.

But this is what we are faced with as a society. This fake reality that we all believe is true. And it is only going to get worse.