For most parents, it is a costly mistake to leave a child unattended before the TV, attended only [b]by[/b] the TV.
Living in the new millennium where media transition is unfathomably rapid and radical and where the liberty to express oneself has been taken to extreme ends; the media has become pliable to inexplicable whims. At the same time, critics have been relentless in keeping the media constantly on their toes about what is permissible material in conformity with our changing society's needs.
My main bone of contention is with reality shows. Other than the fact that these shows are staged with no scripts and the characters are at liberty to act as they please, how realistic and educational are they to the viewing mind. Not the brains working behind the scenes who deliberately edit and guide the scenes to create the drama that raises viewing figures, but the millions at home.
The ever increasing diversity in our country today and the world as a whole, in creating an acceptable and integrated culture, has facilitated the elimination of ethnocentric notions that have been directed towards various co-cultures; the youth, women, gays, minority races or even the homeless. It is undeniable that as reality shows invade our homes, the themes in these shows are subtly embedded in our perceptions, especially among the younger generations. The perpetuation of stereotypical notions particular to certain races are prominent as well. Being an African and living in Diaspora, I have on occasion fallen prey to simplistic, hurtful and ignorant slurs that have come by virtue of my being African, which ironically are a result of the positive campaign by the media to enlighten people about the plight of Africans in relation to HIV/AIDS. These are wrongly translated in the minds of the ignorant as signifying that all Africans are HIV infected.
You also hear reports of girls driving themselves to death with eating disorders, or of cults of death and violence among the youth. These provide pertinent examples of the power of the media in the shaping of people's perceptions. Many reality shows revolve around the life line of an outrageous and controversial character who determines the course and the popularity of the show. Predictably, as these characters dominate people's minds in their living rooms, TV stations and media barons multiply their bullion.
I am driven insane by the depiction of the black, angry, out of control and promiscuous woman. And by the negative images of Africa and Africans in general, like the absurd and tasteless joke depicted in the hit movie Tomb Raider 2,where a scene in a Kenyan "Jungle" depicts Maasai warriors brandishing their spears in readiness to attack an oncoming helicopter in the sky; an article for another day perhaps.
 I confess, however, that no character drives me as mad as VH1's New York from the Flavor of Love and I love New York Reality series . Both shows involve little over a dozen people living in one house, where they contend for the love of a host of the opposite sex. The latter show displays a house full of women with New York as one of the contenders for the 'love' of a prominent rapper. At one point, the height of the show, Bootz one of the bevy of challengers is eliminated because she refuses to have sex until she is married. In the current season, New York is herself the 'eligible lady'. Quite paradoxically,I hold a deep admiration for her undeterred self-belief despite the insults, spitting, back stabbing and physical attacks which her obnoxious and self-absorbed demeanor attracts, a confidence I am sure would surmount mighty obstacles if it was channelled positively.
While HIV/AIDS is a pressing issue the world over, especially among African and African-American women, reality shows that celebrate promiscuity and vulgarity only seek to lull the mind and push into triviality issues such as fidelity and safe sexual conduct. Our perceptions are slowly being corroded with regard to what we perceive as 'moral sexual conduct' by the themes expressed in such shows. As society evolves, it is understandable that both the viewers and critics are nudging TV stations to produce edgier material that captivates the audiences but are reality TV shows not carrying it to an extreme by being oblivious of the values of viewers and the perceptions being imparted?
Though the returns from these shows may be more than worthwhile for their producers, in the long run, a few fundamental questions lay unanswered: At what price are these participants willing to sell their self-respect? At what point do we draw the line between reality TV and marionetted TV and to what extent based on cultural lines do they heighten certain racial stereotypes? What kind of society do we, through these shows, tend to evolve into? Are we breeding a society that puts materialism on a pedestal, to the point where sensitive issues such as love and marriage are being commercialized?
We all do in one way or another judge people based on cultural or racial lines, which probably explains why I subconsciously avoid too much talk when interacting with an East Asian. Also, if racial and cultural judgment were trivial issues, then measures such as affirmative action would never have come into play. Therefore as insolent, outrageous and obnoxious characters pervade our screens, the interpretation of their demeanor as being particular and representative of their cultural group or race is inevitable.
My contention does not rest entirely with the actors, who like everyone else are trying to find a social and economic niche, but with the brains behind the scenes who promote and puppeteer these outrageous images to the masses. Nevertheless as the brains behind the scenes maximize their profits by abusing these characters, they subtly enforce racial and cultural stereotypes and vices. The imperative question poses itself: When the tune is played who pays the piper?
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