Recently, we discussed the CSI effect in one of my classes,  which, believe it or not, is real. We have all heard of the television show “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation” and its 30 other spin-offs as well. The CSI effect can be described as what happens when the exaggerated detail of forensic science on TV distorts the public’s perception of what is real.
This got me thinking about all the effects that other shows, specifically reality TV shows, have on the people who watch them. Shows with no substance that corrupt the minds of Americans like My Super Sweet 16, Teen Mom, Jersey Shore, Bad Girls Club, and, perhaps the most horrifying, Bridalplasty. Many of you might not be familiar with this last one, so here is the basic premise of the show, taken straight from E! Online: “Brides-to-be compete in challenges to earn plastic-surgery procedures in a quest to win their ultimate dream wedding.” I think that alone says enough.
I have never been a fan of reality TV for the sole reason that it is not reality. Only on TV would grown women be gathered in a house, given what seems to be an unlimited supply of alcohol and observed while fighting for no apparent reason. Does showcasing a 16-year-old girl whining because Daddy bought her the wrong Mustang really do anything positive for our society? And don’t even get me started on “Toddlers and Tiaras.”
Just like most shows, what reality TV really comes down to is money. It is more profitable for a network such as MTV to broadcast and produce a show like “The Real World” rather than a scripted show or sitcom – hence why there are currently over a hundred of them on TV.
Although we all know reality TV can’t necessarily be good for the public, the effects of it are more detrimental than we thought. According to Medical Procedure News, reality television is contributing to cosmetic surgery procedures with more than 9.2 million performed as a result of people watching shows like “Bridalplasty.”
Television shows that feature children are especially harmful to our youth. Young girls are learning from an extremely young age that it is acceptable and even desirable to want to be dressed in inappropriate outfits, wear pounds of makeup and be bombarded with hairspray every day – all before reaching their 8th birthday.
To add on to this, there are shows like “Extreme Make Over” and “Next” to teach teenage girls that not only are your looks important, they are basically the only thing that is.
Sure, producing reality TV shows is cheap and beneficial to the businessmen and women behind these broadcasting networks. But what is more important, getting rich off of other people’s stupidity and the innocence of children or making sure that the well-being of the public is not damaged by all of these pointless shows?
Americans spend a third of their free time watching TV, and reality TV makes up 67 percent of that. I can’t be the only person who thinks there is so much more we can do with that time that doesn’t involve watching the Kardashians argue over which one has gained the most weight.