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ralphz 's review for:
Cue the Sun!: The Invention of Reality TV
by Emily Nussbaum
OK, I admit it. I've never seen one second of "Survivor," or "The Bachelor," or any other of the legendary reality TV shows.
But the story of them sounded fascinating, a craze that has taken over people's lives. How did it all happen? After finding out, I need to take a shower.
The worst part is not the roll call of awful hit TV shows. What's worse is the stories of the people who sold their careers to make them, and the people who sold their souls to appear on them.
The makers seemed to seek out damaged people - "Unstable and pretty? That's gold" - and they found them in contestants with hidden abuse, criminal histories or psychological issues.
All of them come off badly. The phrase "morally bankrupt" comes to mind.
Only when "The Apprentice" revives Donald Trump, and he wins the presidency, does anybody in the Reality game begin to feel a tinge of regret. Not out of a sudden realization of the decades of exploitation and sexism and bigotry and manipulation and backstabbing in the genre - just because everybody in the business hates Trump.
I'm not sure what's best way to absorb this type of exploitative TV - to just be revolted by it, or to just make fun of it.
Had a few mistakes here and there - the old "War of the Worlds" tale, a few wrong names - but otherwise OK.
But the story of them sounded fascinating, a craze that has taken over people's lives. How did it all happen? After finding out, I need to take a shower.
The worst part is not the roll call of awful hit TV shows. What's worse is the stories of the people who sold their careers to make them, and the people who sold their souls to appear on them.
The makers seemed to seek out damaged people - "Unstable and pretty? That's gold" - and they found them in contestants with hidden abuse, criminal histories or psychological issues.
All of them come off badly. The phrase "morally bankrupt" comes to mind.
Only when "The Apprentice" revives Donald Trump, and he wins the presidency, does anybody in the Reality game begin to feel a tinge of regret. Not out of a sudden realization of the decades of exploitation and sexism and bigotry and manipulation and backstabbing in the genre - just because everybody in the business hates Trump.
I'm not sure what's best way to absorb this type of exploitative TV - to just be revolted by it, or to just make fun of it.
Had a few mistakes here and there - the old "War of the Worlds" tale, a few wrong names - but otherwise OK.