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March 02, 2006
You know things have gotten bad if....
1. I've started talking in my sleep. Last night I mumbled a bit and then said "You stole my artwork." to Derek. I don't use the word "artwork" all that much. I have no idea what that was about.
2. I'm watching reality shows. I sat in a heap of captivated self-loathing while watching the final episode of The Bachelor: Paris. Why??? Why did I watch the endless hopeful monologues of overly made-up women in evening dress stores? Why did I watch the rejected bride-to-be sob in the back of a limo? The show is such a pathetic waste of time. These poor, demented women sign up in a kind of human husband lotto, where they have a miniscule chance of living happily ever after (or until they break up two weeks after the show) with a man they haven't met. The whole show is kind of revolting, which, of course, is why people watch it. What sucks is that these man-chasing competitive women actually seem to fall in love with the guy toward the end and start spewing out cliches about opening their hearts and letting him in and feeling a real connection, but of course they're just going to have their warped little hearts broken. But they have to KNOW that, right? What I don't get is, when the woman was sobbing in the limo, why wasn't she cursing the show and all of its heartless producers? And the voyeurish viewers for supporting the whole painful venture? I'd be sitting there going, "God, I'm such an IDIOT -- why did I sign up for this stupid shit? And that asshole! And you, the stupid camera man -- I'm bawling and you're not even offering a god damned tissue? What kind of a show is this?" Must be in the contract.
Still, that said, Derek and I both like Beauty and the Geek. Not all reality shows are exploitative horrible things. It still has all of the un-realistic showboating and drama, but as it progresses it becomes a much more positive show. It's great to see the participants struggle with everyday things (the geeks with any sort of social human contact, the beauties with, say, reading a map). It also offers an interesting commentary on the different social strata that people inhabit. Needless to say, D and I both fall in the geek category, though neither of us have the physical or fashion-sense impairments that distinguish some of the geeks (well, at least I don't have the fashion-sense impairment), so we usually side with them. And I have a huge soft spot for chess-playing, painfully self-conscious, pocket-protector-wearing men. They’re so cute!
Posted by csageday at March 2, 2006 10:07 PM
Comments
TV reality shows are oxymoronic...cut the cable and save yourself some money. I'm thoroughly enjoying the DVD of Extras, Ricky Gervais & Steve Merchant's latest comedy series (after The Office). It's a poignant meditation on fame, celebrity and how we treat each other in this crazy society...funny bits too.
It might be on cable but I don't care.
Posted by: Tony at March 4, 2006 04:31 PM
Thanks for the recommendation. We don't pay for cable precisely because we usually can't stand what's on TV and we own enough DVDs to make up the difference. The thing is, I have these relapses where I go through a stressful period and watch TV becuase I'm desperate for something mindnumbing -- and then I get caught up in these ridiculous shows. You're right -- it's time to get back to the DVDs.
Posted by: Cindy at March 5, 2006 10:35 AM