Reality Bites Back reviewed

We all know that Reality TV isn't as real as it says it is, just like the Safety Dance not being as safe as it said it was.  There's been expose's, they're not even trying to hide when voice-over's are dubbed and even Hulk Hogan went into explicit detail about how Hogan Knows Best was made.  It's safe to say that nobody really believes in the reality of Reality TV anymore.  But I always like how Reality TV tries to trick us and I do like learning it's tricks which is probably why I got Reality Bites Back.

It's a book of two sides, on one side is stuff talking about Reality TV and about scriptwriters and that fun stuff.  The author combed through and transcribed about 1000 hours of many such shows on the networks, VH1, MTV, Oxygen, Lifetime and a few other cable channels.  Obviously, there's going to be a whole lot of commonalities between those shows.  That leads to the second side of the book in which the author goes on about how those shows are indoctrinating the next generation on racism, sexism and I think health-ism.

On one hand, this is a blistering, searing and damning indictment of Reality TV especially America's Next Top Model and What Not to Wear.  You will fear angry and it will be a justifiable anger.  You will be angry on how far Tyra has manipulated ATMN to be a bastard shell of it's good intentions as it became all about Tyra...which should be obvious.  You will be angry on how Tyra and her judges break down girls self-worth to fit their script.  And then you will be angry at What Not to Wear and those other shows where all you need to be happy is to spend lots of money and crap you don't need.  Then when somebody fights back, BAM, you're just cheap and hate yourself to damn much.  Or we don't want you to be you anymore, we want you to be like everyone else.  I'm almost ashamed of myself to actually watch and enjoy those shows.

On the other hand, while I hesitate to call this feminist propaganda since it delves into racism more than sexism, but barely, but it does suffer from sever author filibustering.  When the author starts talking about The Bachelor, Joe Millionaire, or Flavor of Love it's pretty much "Oh woe is the world, they're being brainwashed in thinking white men could only love them and that black people are loud, rude & ignorant."  She probably does have a point, but the way she talks she's only preaching to the choir.  She's doing very little, if anything, to convert people to join that choir.  She makes a token attempt at the end with what you could do to combat this like drinking games or Bingo but most of the suggestions come from other people.  And it doesn't really go into Reality TV that much, it just uses that as jumping off point for her many filibusters.

This is something that wants to be important and it STRIIIVEESS to be important.  There's so much we should be resisting on TV and it reveals so much on the ills, especially the luxury shows during the middle of a recession.  It should be something great but the filibustering just gets so bogged down that it just brings the book down with it....shame.

6/10