How Reality T.V. Is Destroying The World

Less than 20 years ago, I was talking with friends about concerns for the state of the world. One friend asked us what we thought was the biggest threat to the country. 

I said, “Reality T.V.”

At this point, Reality TV had been around for years, and had become very popular for a while. I had never intentionally sat down to watch any of the shows. I had seen parts of some of them when I was staying at homes of friends or family who did watch, and that was enough to cause me great concern. 

In general, shows would be presented as being unscripted depictions of people in various situations, so the audience could get a realistic glimpse of what it was like for that particular group of people. At first I wondered if it was supposed to be a type of pop culture documentary.

But these shows were clearly nothing like the National Geographic or Jacques Cousteau or PBS history documentaries I had grown up with. 

The few glimpses of “Real Life”, or “Jersey Shore”, or “Real Housewives” made it clear to me that, even if there might not be a line by line script, there was an intended plot meant to promote outrage, and reaction. The more outrageous the behavior, the more fame for the character.

I saw people start to believe these characters were real, expressing their real selves, in real life. People who would not consider watching a soap opera because they would see it as a waste of time, were now looking forward to the next episode of whatever show they had followed for multiple seasons, which they would spend time discussing and speculating in the days between episodes. 

I had never watched The Apprentice, until I was staying with a friend during a visit out of state. The show had been on for several seasons. I had read a few things about Trump, and some failed businesses, and problems with racist policies at his properties. I appreciated the cameo of his first wife in the movie “The First Wive’s Club”. I did not see much reason to look to him for business advice, or any kind of example for life. It surprised me how much my friends were caught up in everything he did or said to the people who were falling over themselves to gain his approval. When I learned that Trump was behind much of shows in this reality TV genre, I was really concerned about how much impact this was having.

For several decades now, Reality TV has pushed the idea that…

Reality and truth is whatever the script says it is. And the script is whatever ideology junk food you want it to be.Misinformation and lying is crucial for survival. Don’t trust anyone.Mediocrity is something to celebrate if you are famous. And anyone on a reality show is famous.Outrageous behavior is a good enough reason for celebrity, even better than ability, or skill, or intelligence, or creating something.It doesn’t matter how horrible a character’s behavior is, as long as it gets viewers. If the character who betrays, or hurts, or lies, or manipulates the most, is the reason viewers tune in, they will be celebrated, and the victims will be tossed aside.Kindness, compassion, humility, making a difference – this is dismissed and minimized. These qualities might show up in a short term, minor character. Everyone functions in reaction mode. Nothing can move forward except in reaction to what someone has said or done. All cliffhangers are about what kind of reaction will cause another reaction, and who will react in what way that will get the most reactionary response. There is no action that is based on commitment, or integrity, or creativity. There is no one who is an agent who acts. All are objects who react, or who are acted upon so they can then know how to react. When all the discussion I heard from people who were following these shows centered around speculation on who would react in what way, I also saw that they were taking on functioning that way as well. 

This is why I began to see Reality TV as a threat to the country. This concern greatly intensified when I watched the unthinkable happen, and the person who gained the most from these reactionary, fake shows won the presidency.

He ran his administration as though it was a reality show.

Now, he has won it again. A frighteningly large portion of people continue to believe that the script he presents is what is real. And that ability, experience, education, making a difference, commitment to compassion, service, diversity, and creative action, is to be dismissed and eliminated. Nothing is done except in reaction to others. There is no responsibility, integrity or humility, no acknowledgement of damage, and absolutely no apology. The claims he makes are believed, even with no evidence. The more outrageous, the better. Mediocrity is celebrated, and promoted. Skill, experience, commitment is fired, removed, and sued.

When something takes over such a large part of society, it impacts everything. The culture of this country is not isolated, and this administration is impacting the world. I have hope in seeing leadership in other countries that are not willing to submit to this, who have the courage to be agents that act, not react. 

It has been interesting to see the influence of reality TV on church culture. It is a human thing to want to rely on someone else to tell you what is real, what is true, and what to do. It is human to want someone else to be responsible for what happens, and to give all loyalty to whatever leader you have chosen to follow. We are constantly looking for ways to return to the Garden, where we just did what we were told, and someone else was in charge. I have found it interesting to see ways some church members (not only LDS, but also other religions) struggle with dissonance when the rhetoric from this administration clearly conflicts with the rhetoric of their long held beliefs. Some step into the paradigm shift toward real agency, personal responsibility, and owning the power to create life (And yes, it is a significant shift). Others continue to cling to a place of no responsibility, a place of waiting to be told how to react. But they have switched who they see as deity. I see this kind of reactionary outrage function across the spectrum of faith and religion communities. Those who choose to leave a community of any kind (religious, political, family, business, ideological) do not automatically make that paradigm shift toward agency. Some take the reactionary function from one group to another, from one unquestioned leader to another.

I don’t know how much will be demolished by this reality TV administration. I don’t know how many bodies will be left in the wake before this authoritarian power grab is checked. I don’t know what it will take for people who are in position to exercise the courage to stand up to this regime. These are questions I ask when I see any of my communities do things that contradict their constitution. I continue to be an active agent in the face of it. 

Because there is something else that I consider the most harmful and threatening thing about Reality TV. It denies the overwhelming need for connection. All people are depicted and treated as competitors or tools to manipulate. All interactions are treated with suspicion, with a need to negotiate a deal where you win and the other loses. There is no real person except self. All else is seen as someone or something to use for selfish need or gratification. Everyone and everything is commodified. Any information that contradicts this ideology is dangerous, and must be eliminated. Any experience that denies it must be suppressed. 

This feeds the biggest challenges of human nature – that of needing to find barriers, and reasons to “other”, and that of functioning from a place of scarcity.

This defies the incomprehensible, mysterious, overwhelming need for human connection. The transformative power of divine love. It defies the invitation from God that all things which are most precious and endless will increase when given away. And They inspired us into new life, new existence by showing us. They gave away power, knowledge, experience, mercy, connection, compassion, presence, wisdom, love. And in doing so, there is enough for all, and to spare. 

Even in the midst of this unthinkable time, They are there. Weeping and mourning for the way we treat each other. Present and constantly inviting me to comfort and mourn and bear each other up. As I have often said – Jesus wants me for an activist.

Yes, I am horrified by how much more destructive the culture of Reality TV has become than what I saw as a threat almost 20 years ago. My experience with God tells me that creative power will be able to overwhelm destructive abuse of power. I don’t know what will finally be the “Amen” to the abusive authority of this regime, or how they will experience the pain of kicking against the pricks, but abusive power of force and destruction and denial of existence will not last. That is the case for any community. 

To resist a regime that denies and seeks to destroy the connecting power of one-ness can seem an overwhelming problem. But it is a problem worthy of an extraordinary life. That is a life worth creating.