Some People are not Deserving


Wherein Our Heroine Just Can't Stand it.
This just in from Jeff Cooper: apparently winning a "reality" show does not guarantee either wisdom or intelligence. Who knew?

A word to the wise: if you find yourself a contestant on a highly successful network "reality" gameshow, and you win a million dollars in a season finale episode watched by millions of people and discussed around water coolers across the nation, DECLARE THAT MILLION DOLLARS ON YOUR INCOME TAX RETURN! Because it's possible, just possible mind you, that perhaps an IRS agent or two might have watched the show.


I don't watch "Survivor." I don't watch "America's Next Top Model," "American Idol," "The Apprentice," "Fear Factor," or any of the other so-called "reality" shows.* I don't despise those who do (well, except for "Fear Factor." That show is just nasty). I just don't find any of it appealing, and there's plenty of other trash TV that's more to my liking. However, it is hard to insulate yourself completely from these shows, so even I know who Richard Hatch is, even though I have never viewed a single minute of "Survivor." Personally, I would have thought his 15 minutes were up some time ago, but I guess nothing keeps you in the spotlight like doing something colossally stupid like failing to file your taxes for one of the most famous paychecks of the last several years.


*I'm sorry: can anything possibly be more artificial than these alleged "reality" shows? Can we think of another name for them? Because the cognitive dissonance caused by putting people in the most bizarre, synthetic, unnatural situations, filming the results, broadcasting it on national television, and then going and labeling it "reality" is just about to make my poor head explode.**

**Yes, I did bust out the thesaurus this morning because my spluttering, idiocy-maddened brain just could not come up with enough synonyms for "fake."
Posted: Wednesday - January 19, 2005 at 07:47 AM         | |

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