Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Reality Binge

I have always found it shocking when the world of reality television collides with actual reality, producing a combination of the artificial and the tangible that serves to illustrate the absurdities of both. The kerfuffle surrounding the recent White House state dinner and the security-breaching party crashers thrust the machinations behind reality television shows into an international spotlight. It exposed the slightly evil, compromising truth of American television that is usually hidden behind slight-of-hand editing techniques.

I’m sure the basic story of Tareq and Michaele Salahi is familiar to everyone. In fact, Michaele’s Facebook profile is open, and photos taken at the crashed party are given top billing on her wall.

The state dinner is one of the most important and ritualized tools of democracy available to the American president, and the fact that the Salahis threatened our national security makes them, in my opinion, deserving of a prison sentence. Their decision to plead the fifth in front of a congressional committee investigating the matter indicates that they are aware of the criminal implications of their actions. But even if they do end up serving time they will end up benefiting from all the media exposure.

The Salahis are a prime example of the newest kind of American celebrity: the media whore. They have sold their dignity, created unnecessary drama at the highest levels of the American government and encouraged the public to mock and criticize them — all for tabloid coverage. And rather than being cast aside as yesterday’s news, they currently are being considered by Bravo as potential cast members in a D.C. version of the “Real Housewives.”

This is the not the first instance of an exchange between self-interested parties and the media — although it is the most surprising and disgusting to me. Jon and Kate Gosselin sold the lives of their children, their right to privacy and their marriage to the American media. Although they claimed it was a method of providing for their oversized family, it only served to destroy their public image and create a hostile environment for their young children.

Nayda Suleman — better known as Octomom — made an “ethical” decision to impregnate herself with unused embryos, then sold the world on her brand of kooky, irrational welfare motherhood. The cult of the media-whore is burgeoning, and will continue to do so as long as we keep reading US Weekly and watching tabloid news shows.

I remember watching the first few seasons of “Survivor” with my family. The concept of the deserted-island competition show was positively high-brow compared to our current slew of reality shows like “For Love or Money” and “More to Love”. Even “The Real World” has relatively edifying aspirations: It aims to exhibit the culture clashes that occur when people from different backgrounds are forced to live together under constant surveillance. These shows never claimed to show actual reality — after all, nothing could be more boring than the quotidian lives of the contestants and participants. Instead, they amplified the truth and appealed to viewers’ voyeuristic sides. Your life might be humdrum, but when you come home from work and sit in front of the television, you could be transported to an exotic locale and watch Americans just like you compete for a large sum of money.

The fame for reality show stars came later, after studios realized the high profit margin for these programs. There was money to be had in the personal, off-camera lives of contestants, and soon tabloids were flooded with stories about the personal tragedies of reality show contestants. Americans also began to form emotional connections to the rejects on shows like “The Bachelor” and studies capitalized on their returns by shooting cookie-cutter sequels, inundating us with “The Bachelorette” and “Survivor: All Stars.” And so, the reality TV circle was established: Participate in a reality show, create a fan base, become the star of another reality show.

The culture of fame now operates like a revolving door. People come in and out of fame, each one doing whatever it takes to stay in the cycle for as long as possible. Today so many careers spring from notoriety, rather than from genuine talent. Would anyone know Kim Kardashian’s name if she hadn’t been featured in a sex tape? Even the secondary characters in media scandals have become famous in their own way: Ashley Dupré, the prostitute hired by Eliot Spitzer, is still being featured in the news.

So where do we, the consumers of this media drivel, draw the line? Until we all put down our remote and cancel our magazine subscriptions, the cycle will continue. Unfortunately, quitting cold turkey is easier said than done — watching reality television train wrecks is just too much fun.

Whitney McAniff is a sophomore in the College. The 52 Percent appears every other Monday at thehoya.com.

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