Culture Theories Found In Reality Televison

Reality television shows are filled with popular culture theories.  There are the icons which can be found on American Idol, The Voice, and Survivor. Then there are the heroes which are found on Celebrity Apprentice.  Celebrities such as Dennis Rodman, Bret Michaels, and La Toya Jackson fight to raise money and awareness for their charity of choice. The last person standing will be chosen as the Celebrity Apprentice and have the honor of delivering a $250,000 bonus check to their designated charity (Celebrity Apprentice, 2013). The most common theory found in reality television is the stereotypes which can be found in the saucy, southern, six-year-old pageant queen Honey Boo Boo, to the hard-drinking, hypersexual Italian-Americans on Jersey Shore. These politically incorrect themes on reality television in the United States are hard to escape (Reality TV Casts Controversial Spotlight on American Stereotypes, 2013).

            The most interesting analysis is the popularity of reality shows.  I found this so interesting because of all the drama and stereotypes that are found in the shows. Viewers enjoy watching the cast fight, struggle, and just be basically “white trash”.  Reality TV allows Americans to fantasize about gaining status through automatic fame. Ordinary people can watch the shows, see people like themselves and imagine that they too could become celebrities by being on television (Reiss & Wiltz, 2001).

            I will think of popular culture differently because now I understand the definition.  Prior to taking this class, I thought that popular culture was the culture of popular people. Now I look at television, groups of people, and even my work environment and think about the individual’s culture. Why they behavior the way they do. I look at the different stereotypes that I hear daily and think about how it originated.  I really enjoyed this class and found it to beneficial in my own life.

References

Browne, R. E. (2005). Profiles of Popular Culture A Reader. Madison: The University Of Wisconsin Press Popular Press.

Celebrity Apprentice. (2013). Retrieved from NBC.com: http://www.nbc.com/the-apprentice/about/

Reality TV Casts Controversial Spotlight on American Stereotypes. (2013). Retrieved from Rianovosti: http://en.rian.ru/art_living/20130119/178877245.html

Reiss, S., & Wiltz, J. (2001). Why America Loves Reality TV. Retrieved from Psychology Today: http://www.psychologytoday.com/articles/200109/why-america-loves-reality-tv