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How do I hate reality TV, let me count the ways...

Let's see, where can I begin? This is such a vast field that serves as an open target and rightfully so. I don't know about any of the rest of you out there, but I am trying to raise my family as a family unit. Now when I was growing up, it was a nice feeling to sit down with my mom and watch such FAMILY ORIENTED shows like Mr. Belvedere, Who's The Boss, and Growing Pains. These shows used no explicit language, they didn't display sex as if it were a day picking apples, and they didn't exploit love as if it were a joke, some game to be played while millions of viewers watched. Instead they promoted the family as an important piece of a child's life, addressed issues that teens faced, and exemplified morality. So why are our kids going to hell in a hand basket? Well....

When a majority of television becomes "reality" shows, and I do use that term loosely, what else can you expect? All of the "sign up for the casting call and find love" reality shows are really making me nauseous. Especially when the women who are vying for the attention of the eligible man are all no larger than a size two and are just as corrupt and conniving as the CEO's of Enron! Again, please do not tell me that most of these people are trying out for these dating shows because they can't find someone. THEY JUST WANT TO BE ON TV! This alone takes the "real" out of "reality."

And what message is this sending to our kids? In a society where young girls have a poor enough perception of their bodies, do you really think that an episode of "Beauty and The Geek" is going to boost their self-esteem? Not hardly! It's going to teach them that as long as you're drop dead gorgeous, it's okay to have a brain the size of a pea. PUH-lease!

This is not to say that every reality show out there sends a bad message. The Biggest Loser has done wonders for promoting healthy lifestyles. The problem is, we then have copycat shows that follow, like the celebrity version of the Biggest Loser. This is my problem. The airwaves are filled with everything reality and all they really are is an illusion, a perception of reality. You can't find a good,make you laugh comedy anymore that's not filled with sexual overtures, violence or foul language. It just gets old.

To be completely honest with you, I'm lost in re-run land. My family hates it, but I tape every episode of Little House on The Prairie that I can get my hands on. I go to sleep with Nick At Night because of shows like Home Improvement and The Fresh Prince Of Bel Air. Unfortunately, they're only aired "after hours" because Heaven forbid they interrupt an episode of The Bachelor. You can call me old fashioned if you like, I have been called worse, but I have my own love life to take care of. I don't need to follow someone else's.

Learn more about this author, Mary Bubbins.
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