Reality of Reality T.V

How real is reality TV? I'm sure most people know that most of what we see is tailored to please an audience, and anything but real. Still, the amount of people who buy into the reality of shows like Duck Dynasty or Swamp People is staggering. Obviously, people become enveloped in and believe all types of reality TV shows, but the two mentioned above are close to my heart. I was born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. I grew up with experiences like eating grits for breakfast and raw sugar cane for desert, riding horses, and canoeing through bayous. My family also did not live in a trailer, they could speak proper english, and all had a full set of teeth. My my Grandfather was a Marine, my grandmother a nurse, my father a professor at LSU, and my cousin teaches at a school for the deaf.

Despite all this, shows like Duck Dynasty or Swamp People would have you believe that every person in the State speaks with a Cajun accent, and shoots nutria rat in our free time. They would have you believe despite education, social class, or upbringing that every person from Louisiana is a bumpkin in the swamp.

Now some may say that I am overreacting, and they may be right to some degree. I am sure that most people realize these shows are at least partially fictional and may purely to entertain. That they're, "coached reality," as opposed to....well...actual reality. That being said, I have argued with people I consider my friends about the fictionalization of these shows. They genuinely believe the reality these shows present.

I am not a stranger to misconceptions or ignorance. I am a first generation American on my mothers side, my mother coming here from India as a child. I have been subjected to sincere yet ignorant questions my entire life, such as, "Why do you all worship cows?" For the record, I eat hamburgers and steaks all the time. my issue here is not the fact that people are ignorant to things they do not know, but rather that we are breeding ignorance as a form of entertainment.

The same can be said for any reality TV show. Even seemingly innocent shows are completely constructed. Pawn Stars was originally pitched as a, "seedy late night Las Vegas," show. The producers decided that the format would not be as popular, and they reworked it to its current formula. The worst part being that shows like this are on The Learning Channel or the History Channel. Aren't they suppose to promote learning and the betterment of society? At least with shows like "The Real Housewives" I know that I am about to watch an hour of mind-mushing garbage. I just believe that we need to start seeing these shows for what they are, and start asking for more. We should start expecting more, because we deserve more.

Now if you don't mind, I need to catch up on Master Chef Jr.