"Reality" TV

I can't stand reality TV. I can't stand what it stands for. I might even like it for the entertainment value of it, but it feels like condoning moronic behavior to watch it, raising the ratings, raising the money the channel makes in sponsors, and raising the amount money these losers are paid per episode. I'm talking about anything with Housewife in the title, Jersey Shore and almost anything on MTV, anything about a celebrity couple, the phony dating shows on any and every channel, and I could go on and on. It's disappointment not that people find entertainment in watching the equivalent of a train wreck on television, but disappointment in who we, as a society, revere as our celebrities. Hard work comes in different forms and isn't compensated fairly or sensibly. Garbage men work as hard as anyone, and it's certainly a profession that we could not live without. Sure, you might say it's a simple enough job and "anyone can do it", lowering the salary. How hard is it to model though? Stand there and pose for pictures? Don't sic Tyra Banks on me, but that ain't rocket science. I happen to look more like a garbage man than a model so I couldn't make my living that way, but why is a woman who stands on a rock in a bikini paid millions of dollars and a man who keeps our streets clean paid pennies? Holy tangent!
I can't support some dingbat with more hair gel than brains making his tanning money by acting like a complete disrespectful douche bag on television.

So no, I won't watch these shows. I have done, and I've been burned. I was a loyal follower of Jon and Kate the early years, and look what's happened. Your altruistic show to serve a dual purpose of supporting your family and allowing people a glimpse at what they are so curious about anyway is trumped by dollar signs and fancy parties. The draws are such that people are beginning to go to ridiculous lengths to get their own show. Take the balloon boy family for example. The parents of small children involved said children in an illegal plot to gain some media attention. They knew it was illegal, not to mention unethical and setting an absolutely horrendous example for their children, but they didn't care. There is some quality that "celebrities" have now. I can't place it. It's not just looks, it's not just attitude. It's a thing, and it ain't talent or intelligence, and it breaks my heart. It's Lindsay Lohan and Paris Hilton and Sarah Palin and Jon and Kate and someone called Snookie and a douche bag called the Situation. The truly talented are lost in the shuffle, or called fat. Soon everyone will sound the same (thanks autotune), look the same (thanks Dr. 90210), and think the same (thanks jaeger bombs). I love imperfection. Bring it back. Give me your balding men, your extra 5 pounds, your muffin tops, your true love stories. Bring back reality.