Viewer discretion
advised: Reality-based programs stoop to new low
By Kirk Noonan (December
15, 2002)
The game seemed simple
enough. Match two animals and move onto the next round. But there
was a catch, the contestants on NBC’s Fear Factor
had to eat a reproductive part of the male animal (a deer, an
elk, a bull or a water buffalo) they had matched. Welcome to primetime
“reality” television.
“Unfortunately,
while the reality craze has gone from fad to fixture, the quality
of programming has gone from bad to worse,” says Brent Bozell,
president of Los Angeles-based Parents Television Council, a group
that aims to make television a socially responsible entertainment
medium. “Many reality shows — particularly those airing
on cable — wallow in offensive content.”
MTV proves Bozell’s
point with this season’s Real World: Las Vegas,
a program that captures the hedonistic lives of seven 20-somethings
rooming together on the 28th floor of the Palms Hotel and Casino
in an ultra-sleek suite. During a typical episode cast members
pontificate about life’s issues and each other, argue, plan
parties for a nightclub and indulge in fantasies. For some of
the cast that includes graphic romantic forays with their roommates
— even those of the same sex.
The draw to reality-based
programming for some viewers is voyeurism. But for major network
and cable channel bosses the high ratings, relatively low expense
of producing such programs and the ability to make a lot of money
make business sense. Though some reality-based programs are tame
and even educational, critics claim that many are filled with
crude humor, crass behavior, dangerous stunts and heavy sexual
content — even during primetime.
Harsh Reality:
Unscripted TV Offensive to Families is a study conducted
by PTC. Of the broadcast networks, NBC and UPN’s reality
series were graded with the highest level of offensive content,
with 19 and 14.9 instances of offensive content per hour respectively.
Of the cable networks, VH1 and MTV contained the most offensive
content at 39.7 and 36.1 instances per hour, respectively.
Because cable programmers
are more than willing to step over the line of decency in their
bid to attract viewers, some experts say, major television networks
are forced to resort to sleazy content to ensure that viewers
don’t switch channels and take advertising dollars with
them.
“The main reason
raunchy television is accepted is because of cable television,”
says Stephen Winzenberg, 47, associate professor of communications
at Grand View College in Des Moines, Iowa. “It [cable television]
has grown to where more than 80 percent of people in the country
now have access. The main networks think they have to put on stuff
that is going to match cable programming in order to keep an audience.”
As programs become
raunchier year by year Winzenberg says viewers, even Christian
viewers, are becoming desensitized.
“Viewers don’t
realize the subtle impact [raunchy and violent programming] is
having on them,” he says, noting that Christian viewers
who are exposed to such programming eventually become callous
to objectionable material. “Instead of reacting to sin with
shock and disgust they shrug their shoulders and say that’s
the way the world is.
“They overemphasize
grace and underemphasize personal responsibility,” he says.
“That’s a direct result of watching too much television.”
Christians
on reality TV
Though reality-based programs have received widespread criticism,
CBS’s Big Brother 3, which also relied heavily
on sleaze, recently showcased a contestant who many believe displayed
Christian behavior to millions of viewers who perhaps would never
darken the doorway of a church.
Winzenberg describes
Jason Guy, 25, who attends Knollwood Assembly of God in Mobile,
Ala., as “one of the greatest Christian characters to ever
hit primetime.”
“The only way
you are going to get Christian characters on primetime is through
these reality shows,” says Winzenberg. “There are
great opportunities [on reality-based programs] because they are
trying to pick people from different walks of life.”
“Some people
have said that Christians should stay far away from Hollywood,
but I think it’s just the opposite,” says Guy, who
was chosen from among 6,000 applicants and finished the show in
third place after 78 days in the sequestered house where his every
move was caught on camera. “Christians need to be in every
aspect of the world, letting their light shine.”
Guy says there were
disagreeable things on the show that made him uncomfortable, and
the cast and crew knew what those things were. Though his presence
made for some awkward moments, he believes he had a positive effect
on the other contestants. “They played the game with a little
more love and concern for other people,” he says, noting
that he has never used drugs or alcohol and has remained a virgin.
“Some people think there’s no way you can enjoy life
without those things, but you can. And I think I proved that.
“I was in this
house, but I was not a part of those things,” he says. “I
connected with people and I loved them. Jesus would do the same
thing. He wouldn’t have been like them, but He would have
been with them. And they would have loved Him and respected Him.”
Aaron Fruh, senior
pastor at Knollwood A/G, agrees. “Christians need to be
in every industry,” Fruh says. “I knew Jason was strong
enough to go and keep his testimony and make a difference.”
But Winzenberg says
it is going to take more than just Christian characters to change
the tide of sleaze on television and cable. He says creative people
are going to have to step to the forefront of the entertainment
industry. He points to the once wildly popular Who Wants to
Be a Millionaire as an example of quality programming sans
the R-rated content.
“Anyone can throw
in curse words, sexuality and violence and claim they are being
creative,” he says. “What’s really difficult
to do is create something that has a strong message and is entertaining,
yet doesn’t contain that stuff.”
— Additional
reporting by Ashli O’Connell
