It's Only Real If You're On TV

There's a reason Jonah Goldberg is one of my favorite writers...

Culturally, this has been the decade of the reality show. And what do we have to show for it? Not much more than the contestants themselves.

Survey the wreckage. Richard Hatch, the first Survivor champion, was just released from prison (he didn’t pay taxes on his winnings). The marriage of the Octoparents, Jon and Kate, is a shambles. Richard and Mayumi Heene were so desperate to land a reality series, they concocted an enormous hoax, convincing the country their child had been carried away in a balloon. Michaele and Tareq Salahi tried to claw their way onto the sure-to-be-hideous series Real Housewives of D.C. by brazening their way into a state dinner. And alleged wife-killer Ryan Jenkins, a contestant on two VH1 shows, is a stark reminder that fame is not a reflection of good character.

Which brings us to Jersey Shore. The show, which just started airing on MTV, follows a gaggle of barely literate bridge-and-tunnel steakheads and slatterns as they spend their summer at “the greatest meat market in the world.” One of the absurdly tanned gibbons goes by the moniker “the Situation” because it gives him the excuse to ask women, “Do you love the Situation?” as he lifts his shirt to show off his washboard abs. Even if they all put their heads together, it’s doubtful they could beat a carnival chicken at Tic-Tac-Toe.

You want to know the greatest thing about America? We're the only society that can survive having idiots like this as guiding lights of popular culture. Mind you, I'm not saying we will survive, but the mere fact that we might says a lot. Meanwhile, I'm sure folks in New Jersey are proud to have the stereotypes of Jerseyites reinforced.

As to Goldberg's greater point, I hate reality TV, even as I watch some of it, mostly because I am married and my wife likes some of these shows. Goldberg is spot-on regarding the fact that this is compelling TV, but no one stops to ask whether it's a good idea, including the fame-starved contestants.