Final Written Analysis "Reality TV"

The most accurate theory that seemed to best relate to my pop culture topic “Reality TV” were stereotypes.  Turning on the TV for me lately has consisted of nothing but new Reality TV shows popping up left and right.  No matter what channel you are on, every network has taken a bite of this new current popular trend.  TV networks ranging from ABC, BRAVO, VH1, OXYGEN, E, and so many more are all featuring some form of Reality TV.  I believe the reason so many Americans tune into these shows every week is because of the entertainment they implement, one mainly due to the stereotype of women in general.  Over the years women have taken on the stereotype of being catty, two faced, mean big time gossipers toward each other, to the point that it has now become entertaining.  Every Reality TV show we see featuring women all portray the same stereotype.  Women fussing and fighting at each other, physically and emotionally abusing one another, jealousy, gossip, instigation, and manipulation are all traits that these women depict, all while contributing the bad stereotype of women in society. 

Then you have the race and ethnic stereotype Reality TV shows like “Basketball wives of Miami” which created a controversy in the African American community, as being a bad representation contributing to the stereotype of black women as loud, ghetto and bitter.  Or you have “Jersey Shore” which features young Italians Americans calling each other “Guido’s and Guidettes” which has been considered a derogatory name to be called in the Italian community for many years.  So as we see, stereotypes have been used in so many Reality TV shows we watch now in days as a form of entertainment rather than offense, which leaves me to question, are we making progress as a society or are we really sarcastically hurting one another?

The most interesting findings from my analysis was the discovery that all of the theories seemed to tie into my topic somehow.  Everything ranging from: popular beliefs, myths, icons, rituals, stereotypes all the way to heroes and the cult of celebrity all played a part in Reality TV.  I also found it very interesting that these theories also play a big role in the formulas that producers use in the process of creating a plot for the shows.  Having obtained this insight of theories and formulas has definitely helped me look at Reality TV differently.  I am able to apply logic, and make educated determinations in terms of how I perceive all Reality TV shows from now on.