My worst nightmare just became a reality, when my best friend of 11 years, Jason, succumbed to his disease +â-¡+â-¡- a disease known as reality television. It had been keeping me up at night for weeks on end, wondering if I would ever get to share another laugh or spend another moment with him in person.
Television has a dangerous grasp on Jason, and I realize that he is only one of millions of innocent people who have become infected by the reality bug.
Filled with naivety about the epidemic known as "reality TV," I decided to gain some perspective and hopefully cure those of you - including Jason - who clutch the remote daily as if it were a lifeline to reality. Perhaps we can transcend the lines between your reality and that of others and find a common ground in which you can live your life with a healthy dose of both television and your own reality.
Thus, we proceed:
Sand, extreme heat, detestable food and bugs as big as your head - some would see this as a Spring Break trip gone wrong, but reality fans think, "'Survivor'! I still can't believe that Richard ran around in that environment naked!" While you can watch reality television to see a story like that, you could also just ask any student who has had a "great time" on Spring Break, and I'm sure he or she will have a story of a naked guy running around in those conditions.
See? I've already saved you an hour each week.
Then there's "Big Brother," the story of several people crammed into a tiny space to see who gets kicked out first. Is it just me, or isn't this the story of every person on campus who has roommates? Before I get responses from the lucky few who say, "Oh, I love my roommates" or "We've been friends forever," I guarantee that they at least know someone who is living the "Big Brother" lifestyle and not getting paid for it. Listen to their stories and, yes, you now have another hour a week free.
As it stands now, we are merely college students, but soon we will be hurled into the often confusing and disappointing world called the job market. With the aggravation and tension a person experiences in seeking a job, do we really need to see Donald Trump each week shattering the dreams of individuals hoping to be "The Apprentice"? I think not - employees are fired enough in real life for stealing office supplies or telling their boss what they really think of his new toupee.
Trust me, I'm sure you will have your own special moment when you are handed a pink slip for the first time.
There are obviously too many reality shows to mention, but in reading the synopses of these shows, the reality is this: Reality television is based on the premise of everyday people - with the exception of extraordinary characters such as Richard and The Donald - actually doing something and living their own lives.
They're not doing something that is impossible for the average person, and they're certainly not changing the world - only television as we know it.
They're simply living out the events that we do every single day, while flanked by cameras and millions of viewers who believe that their own lives are inferior to those on television. I am here to tell you that your own course of events is more important and can be more life-altering than anything you will see on television.
So, put down your remote from time to time and remember to use your four other senses to live life - because the sound, taste, smell and feel of the experiences around you are your reality and yours alone.
Maybe if he follows these tips, my dream of having my dear friend Jason back will become a reality.
Write to Danielle at
drcoulter@bsu.edu
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