Hanadi Abuzahriyeh Professor Brand ENG 1010, 81677 WP3 Final Draft October 19, 2013 Word Count:

1,015 Reality Television, Good or Poisonous? In the article, "The Real Effects of Reality TV," Micki Fahner explains the effects of reality television. She explains that almost every channel in a household is home to reality television. Fahner notes the effect of reality television has is still unknown. She also implies reality television viewing increased in the year of 2000. Dr. Peter Christenson advises that reality television has limited affects. Dr. Brad Gorham explains that there are so many reality television shows on television stations which mean they are making a lot of money for their networks. Gorham notes that reality television shows are way cheaper to produce and that it is all about the money. Sherri Williams, a PhD. candidate and instructor at Syracuse University, notes that reality television programs show behavior that is not good, but never show the consequences for their actions. Williams points out, "There aren't any consequences on these shows, and that's problematic" (par. 6). Reality shows are generally no good to the youth of America because of the drama that it could be in real life. People can think it would be okay to fight like they do on reality television shows, when it is not. In the article, "Reality TV Is Making Us Smarter, Even When its Stupid," by Brian Moylan explains how reality television is really making people smart. Moylan writes that reality television has always been the "dog child" of the television industry. Moylan informs that in the future, reality television shows would make every museum go broke, and every opera to close its curtains for good. Grant McCracken insists that reality television has its own problems, but does not mean people will not watch it. McCracken points out, "Reality TV was a weakness for beautiful people who are too stupid to appreciate that their limitations are better kept from public view" (par.7). Moylan concluded that people need to stop being afraid of reality television shows and start embracing them. In the article, "Why America Loves Reality TV," Steven Reiss and James Wiltz acknowledge some reasons why people really love reality television. As Reiss and Wiltz state, reality shows are hard to avoid even if people do not watch it. They both explain that people really watch reality shows is to talk about it with friends or coworkers. Reiss and Wiltz also explain that reality television value expedience more than they value morals. They also state that reality television shows are very competitive with one another. Reiss and Wiltz both conclude that reality shows have Americans fantasizing about fame and being famous. They explain the true fact about reality television shows is that millions of Americans pay a lot of attention to these shows, which means the constant and competitiveness is always important to them. As Reiss and Wiltz write, "Prestige is important to me" and "I am impressed with designer clothes" than other people are (par.7).

Overall, a lot of people watch reality shows because of the entertainment they bring to viewers. The only reason these people do reality television shows is to seek attention, fame, and money. When people watch reality shows, they think it is appropriate to act like that in real life. When watching reality television, it has a huge impact on how people are acting today. It also influences the disrespectful way people act. When watching reality shows, people may think it is appropriate to dress like these reality show "celebrities." Reality television is showing its viewers how to behave in a disrespectful manner towards one another. People, who choose to watch reality shows, should not watch it. They should not watch it because it is disgusting and degrading. These "celebrities" who chose to degrade themselves just to become famous is downright disgusting. The way these so called celebrities are acting on television is bringing shame to their family. They are also degrading and bringing shame to their culture. While being on a reality show is degrading to a person's family, there is also a lack of privacy. The lack of privacy there tears families apart. For people in the industry of television there is that desire for a status, to be known to everyone else. Also, family values are disappearing in this society, and reality television is to blame. In some cases, reality television has an impact on teenagers, mostly teenage girls. More than 14,000 sexual references and jokes are exposed to the youth of today because of reality television each year. With reality television being very popluar, a lot of teens are exposed to things such as sex, drugs, and inapporiate language. Teenage girls are affected mostly by reality television. Reality television has shown teenage girls that is it okay to dress in an inapporiate way when it is not. Also, reality television shows teenage girls how to violently fight over things that are not important, which is not okay. When teenage girls think it is okay to act the way "reality stars" do, they end up in more trouble then they would think. The impact that these reality shows have on teenage girls, should be a wake up call to parents. Parents should be watching their kids more on what types of shows they do watch, to protect them. Reality television shows have negative effects on today's youth. Overall, reality television is just a waste of people's time. It is also a waste of money to produce these shows. They may be fun and really entertaining to watch, but reality shows can also be very dangerous to minds. People should be cautious on what kind of reality television shows they watch. Reality television shows can portray what people might think is cool just because some "celebrity" is doing it, when it is not.

Works Cited

Fahner, Micki. "The Real Effects of Reality TV." USA Today. 9, April, 2013 Web. Oct. 2013.

Moylan, Brian. "Reality TV Is Making Us Smarter, Even When It's Stupid." TV News. Oct. 2012. Web.Oct. 2013. Reiss, Steven. Wiltz, James. "Why America Loves Reality TV." Psychology Today. 1, Sept. 2001. Web. Oct. 2013