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Why is it that the further we go with these so-called "reality" shows the more abusive people on the shows get?? First, we had Simon being rude and downright nasty to contestants on AI. Then there was Gordon Ramsey on Hell's Kitchen yelling at everyone. Now I see commercials for some home renovation show where the guy is screaming at people. I even recently started watching a "reality" show about ancient Egypt and a guy who is unearthing new pyramids, tombs, etc and he's always screaming at people.
What's up with that????? Do the producers think it makes the show more --- I don't even know what? It's very annoying!
Look at who the audience is: Americans, one of the world's most overstimulated people. If you aren't yelling or throwing stuff, you can't even get them to move their heads.
Do this sometime. Watch a rerun of The Weakest Link, US version. Then watch the British version on BBCA. Notice how they have Anne spitting her lines at times rather than speaking them in a normal voice, as she does in her own country's version. It says a lot for her as a performer that she was willing to do it the way the Yank producers required of her, as unnatural, biotchy and ridiculous as they made her sound.
Or watch a commercial. Try and find one that's designed to appeal to your intellect. I'll wait. They are designed to jolt you out of stupor and make you look or listen.
Our media may be exceptionally vulgar and trashy, but it isn't stupid. It knows us (and holds us in the infinite contempt our viewing habits earn us), it knows what we ignore and what we watch. We watch people freaking out. We ignore/tune out anything that takes five seconds or more to say, and denounce it as a 'lecture'.
I'm tired of seeing men hit by women on these shows without anyone saying that it's not ok. NO ONE has a right to put their hands on another person. I think domestic violence should not be tolerated whether it's a man or a woman being abused.
One thing you'll notice is that in many of the shows you name it's British people yelling or insulting. Cowell is British, Ramsay is British I think, and so was The Weakest Link woman. However you did have like Judge Judy, American, before that.
I think it's in a way an exaggeration of an old idea in comedy. That being the character who is in some way "an outsider" and can therefore "get away with" critiquing or challenging or mocking our pretensions and foibles. Like "Alf" or "Mork" or what have you. However there's a much more hostile edge than that to it so I think another factor is kind of "schadenfreude." That it's funny watching people "get in trouble" or be yelled at because
1: You can feel superior to them in their failure or discomfort.
2: You can feel relieved because you're not them.
Still why is it often specifically British rather than some other kind of "outsider" yelling at us? I've seen some British papers that think it's because we hate the British, but I doubt that. Still I think our image of British humor might be that it's rather dark and sarcastic. (Or just completely silly, but they don't seem to go for whimsical in these kinds of things) So to make a more viewer-friendly version of "dark and sarcastic" maybe we just get mean and obnoxious.
On women abusing men I think there have been attempts to deal with that. I've started watching the American The Office only recently, but I would say much of Jan's behavior to Michael was basically abusive and portrayed as abusive. Granted they might have been "mutually abusive" to each other, him being an insensitive buffoon is part of the point, but I would say on balance they made her more abusive. In the episode where she throws an award statue at his TV this is kind-of funny, but it's also pretty uncomfortable and a sign she might have become unhinged. I think there was another show I watched where the guy was in an abusive relationship with a woman and they presented it as that. Although I think he laughed it off, but to be honest I think some men might do that. For many men it might still seem "embarrassing" to admit that your with a woman who abuses you or that a woman can abuse you. (It wouldn't for me, but I am a tiny man with a brittle bone condition)
I remember during Celeb Apprentice, which was as scripted as reality gets (it was so trashy you knew it had to be on Fox, the Walmart of US television in many senses), when Piers Anthony or whoever he was even came out and said, okay, they want me to play the evil Brit, fine. The producers just love the snotty Limey. In my case it insults my intelligence that they keep doing it over and over, as if I'm not supposed to realize it's completely planned.
I remember during Celeb Apprentice, which was as scripted as reality gets (it was so trashy you knew it had to be on Fox, the Walmart of US television in many senses), when Piers Anthony or whoever he was even came out and said, okay, they want me to play the evil Brit, fine. The producers just love the snotty Limey. In my case it insults my intelligence that they keep doing it over and over, as if I'm not supposed to realize it's completely planned.
Look at who the audience is: Americans, one of the world's most overstimulated people. If you aren't yelling or throwing stuff, you can't even get them to move their heads.
To add to Thomas R.'s comment most American reality shows were ripped from the Brits. American Idol, Big Brother, Master Chef, Kitchen Nightmares and a slew of others were based from British shows were there was just as much yelling and asshattery.
Don't get me wrong, I hate these shows but don't slam Americans as we were not the ones who came up with this garbage. We just copied the ideas.
Don't get me wrong, I hate these shows but don't slam Americans as we were not the ones who came up with this garbage. We just copied the ideas.
Sorry, but having compared the British versions to ours in several cases, it's pretty clear that we decided to out-garbage our former colonial sovereigns. And have generally succeeded.
If you want really trashy, watch some VHI reality shows.....
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