Flinty Individualism That Makes Sympathy Look Like Weaknesses Essay

Flinty Individualism That Makes Sympathy Look Like Weaknesses - Essay Example One of the most important things that I believe people should not forget about when watching a reality show is that there is nothing â€Å"real† about their reality. It is made to look line a documentary of real life but there is nothing real about it. The events depicted in these shows are still scripted and story boarded for a whole season. The producers, writers, directors, and cast members know before hand what story will play out and how. The problem with this scenario is that people are not privy to the fact that they are watching a new age soap opera and thus, take everything depicted within the show to be a reality of life that should be emulated and promoted as a part of civilized society. These â€Å"reality† shows truly promote, as Francine Prose explains it, â€Å"a culture of flinty individualism† as the characters on the show continuously promote bullying and demeaning of one another as a fact of life. Self interest and winning the game is all that matters for these people and they bring themselves to the bottom most rung of civilized society in order to stay ahead and win the game. Sadly, because people think that this is the way people should be acting in real life, â€Å"reality† shows have enhanced the social problem of bullying, selfishness, and lack of respect for one another in real life situations.   As Jeff Williams succinctly explained, television has a way of making people unaware of the information being fed to them. There is no way the viewers can tell fact from fiction in these instances thus.