Comments on: Jon and Kate + Commiserate

By: John

John — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 07:06:43 +0000

I agree with the idea that these shows are about seeing the rich, famous and beautiful taken down a notch…I think that is why soaps have been popular forever…all these glamorous people have all these troubles so the watcher can feel better about him/herself

I agree too, with Fr. Larry, rather than having some show like “survivor” where individuals are kicked off the island, there should be shows which demonstrate the great things that can be accomplished when people work together for survival…it should promote teamwork not demonstrate how to better stab others in the back.

By: Fr.Larry

Fr.Larry — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 19:15:18 +0000

Can I make a confession? My favorite reality show of all time is “Who Wants to be a Superhero,” on the SciFi (now SyFy) Channel.

With regular folks creating costumed super-hero alter-egos, it was a competition that was always about character. Whoever was the most honorable, truthful, self-sacrificing, and virtuous would win their weekly competitions. Yes, it was all silly fun, but it was ultimately about putting on virtue, not just costuming.

It was, ironically the least “real” of all the reality shows, and a reminder that even though it’s “just television” it didn’t need to be about humiliation, treachery, avarice, and our baser instincts.

Plus, having Stan Lee as the omnipotent judge was really cool.

Peace. – Fr. Larry

By: Emme

Emme — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 17:23:36 +0000

Hey this is a very interesting article! Thanks!

By: Megan

Megan — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 15:57:42 +0000

Even at the beginning of the season, I thought the Gosselins were sort of “normal” and not like celebrity reality TV. http://www.uscatholic.org/blog/2009/05/jon-and-kate-plus-intrigue-or-boredom Sadly, family troubles are quite normal these days.

Now I see they aren’t normal at all. I’ve stopped watching the show because I don’t want to “egg it on,” as you say. Still, I’m not watching the Duggars (boring) or Catholic reality TV (very boring: http://www.uscatholic.org/blog/2009/06/catholic-reality-not-made-tv).

By: Michael

Michael — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 00:45:47 +0000

Thanks for the great article! My question is this: should we view politicians in a similar light (i.e. purely for the purposes of entertainment)? It seems to me that the affairs and failed marriages of politicians are much more damaging than what we see on reality television, since politicians often try so hard to project the image of a perfect marriage with a perfect family life.

By: Boomer

Boomer — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 15:11:33 +0000

My high school English teacher back in the day wondered why the highest rated show in 1988 was the Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous. She said “That’s depressing the hell out of me. I’d much rather watch a show called “The Lifestyles of the Poor and Pathetic.”

Looks like she was right. That’s what we have today.