More and more reality TV shows appear, some dealing with subjects so ridiculous that one must be surprised as to how they are receiving any airtime at all. We had the hotel heiress, we had Survivor and Blind Date and now, reportedly, MTV is giving us a peep into what birthday parties and marriages are like for 16 year olds. Rich and poor, smart and sexy, everybody has a place on TV.

The issue I’m taking with this? People watching reality shows constantly. Heck, I’ve indulged [though my brain has subsequently retaliated] in viewing some of these programs occasionally. It’s bullshit and the entertainment factor lies in watching it once to see how screwed up things really are for the up-and-coming generations [albeit, there is a lot to be said about how those poor kids watching this shite should be protected] and that’s about it. Turn it off, go play outside.

But watching life unfold for others is nothing close to living life. A good movie, much like a good book, is not a surrogate for life; it uses certain situations as a way of dressing up a set of reflections on a topic. There are ideas beyond the images of the reel [or the leafs of the book] that are the real reason why anybody watches/reads it. A reality show, unlike the above, does nothing of the sort. These are other people’s lives, the results of different mathematical equations with different experiences as input parameters. The 20 minute segment is devoid of any content whatsoever. There is no character depth, no foreshadowing or use of imagery to further the ideas behind the pictures. There is nothing that one can apply to their own life, that one can take and think through after the show.

So it boils down to pissing your life away in front of the TV watching how others live theirs. They have already succeeded much more than you - regardless of how dumb you think they are, you are the one considering it entertaining to watch whatever they do. In front of the TV, after a day’s work, before going to bed.

Here’s a motivational piece for you:

Choose life. Choose a job. Choose a career. Choose a family. Choose a fucking big television, Choose washing machines, cars, compact disc players, and electrical tin openers. Choose good health, low cholesterol and dental insurance. Choose fixed- interest mortgage repayments. Choose a starter home. Choose your friends. Choose leisure wear and matching luggage. Choose a three piece suite on hire purchase in a range of fucking fabrics. Choose DIY and wondering who you are on a Sunday morning. Choose sitting on that couch watching mind-numbing sprit- crushing game shows, stuffing fucking junk food into your mouth. Choose rotting away at the end of it all, pishing you last in a miserable home, nothing more than an embarrassment to the selfish, fucked-up brats you have spawned to replace yourself. Choose your future. Choose life… But why would I want to do a thing like that?

— Trainspotting [John Hodge, Irvine Welsh]