Reality Television Creates Cadre of Negative
Stereotypical Idols
London
Press Review | June 18 2004
Comment: This isn't our usual fare, a
critique of a television show, but it underlines a point I've recently become
aware of. So-called 'reality' television, whether wittingly or unwittingly,
is becoming more and more bizarre (thus, warping the very definition of
reality in the minds of those that watch it). People watch freaks behave
like animals and because these freaks are famous and in the papers every
day, the viewers aspire to be like them, and they think that their outlandish
behaviour, because it is on 'reality television', is normal. This creation
of the negative stereotype and the deviant cultural idol therefore further
drags our society into the pit of degeneracy.
Food fights, boobs, threats, hysteria, threats, pointing,
screaming and threats. Last night’s episode of Big Brother had them
all. And one has to admit that however grim and depressing it was to witness,
however stupid and boorish (unbelievably boorish) the contestants, the episode
was a classic.
Favourite moments? Vanessa and Shell huddled and weeping
in the shower; the hosing of Jason and Victor in the snug; Nadia laughing
at the hilarious alpha-male antics of Jason; Marco’s endless bob-cat
shrieking (with a voice that could cut the earth’s crust); Jason telling
Marco: "You dance like that again and I'll take your fucking head off";
Emma throwing the tray at Victor; Victor (still in his clown make-up) yelling:
“don't fuck with me, Emma, I'm warning you. I'll fucking have you"
– muscling up to the tiny, stupid, drunken girl and shouting: “don’t
you know who I am?” Stuart restraining Victor (still in his clown
make-up), and yelling in his ear: “who are you? who are you?”
– oh, it was wonderful, rich, vibrant television. Vibrant, depressing
and grim.
God Almighty, we have to believe that human beings are better than this.
Less stupid, less annoying, less crap. And we have to believe that Big Brother
isn’t holding up a mirror to Britain as it really is. If we didn’t
believe this then we should, as a nation, gather together on the Isle of
Wight, each armed with a kitchen knife or a meat hook, and commit mass hara-kiri.
Put an end to it.
But in fact, Big Brother is not a mirror, it is a mandate.
This is an old argument, but it holds good: Big Brother, in representing
(and, to be fair, celebrating) this kind of grunting, chimpy behaviour,
is saying to people: this is how people behave – this is how people
on television behave. And people on television are the best people because
they are famous and famous people are best: therefore we should aspire to
that way of behaving. It’s a simple process of feedback. The freaks
are all right.
Mirrors reflect the here and now. But the reality of “reality
television” is not the reality of the present, it is the reality of
the future. In scrabbling lower and lower among the detritus of humanity,
in their quest for conflict, sex and boob-flashing lunacy, the producers
of Big Brother are dragging humanity down behind it. And nobody much cares.
Why should the producers of Big Brother care? Last night’s episode
was fantastic television. The only sad thing about it is that fantastic
television is not always responsible television.
Ah, yuk – that sounds horrible: 'responsible television'.
A phrase straight out of the Daily Mail. But there is something to it. The
producers of Big Brother have gone out of their way to fill the show with
vain, self-centred, trashy, vacuous fools. And never mind the occasional
raised eyebrow from Davina, the qualities of the contestants are the qualities
that the viewing public (particularly the younger and stupider viewing public)
see as being normal. Because whilst we (sophisticates that we are) chatter
on about this series of Big Brother being a freak show, it isn’t billed
as a freak show. It is billed as reality TV. Reality is what reality is
shown to be.
"Who are you? Who are you?" shouts Stuart, holding
back a furious Victor, still in his clown make-up.
"I am reality."
Freakishness, selfishness, vanity, reality.
The freaks are all right.
