Reality Nation

What does it say about our culture that we actually have popular shows that allow people to watch other people living in a house together. Of course, I'm referring to "Big Brother."

Now I've never watched the show, so maybe there are some tangible cultural benefits to it that I'm overlooking, but seriously, how can this be on? We take a group of people — usually several of whom are mentally unstable — and throw them in a house together and let people watch for months. There are hour-long episodes on the network, nightly live footage on Showtime and, for those that just can't get enough, an Internet feed you can subscribe to. Really, this is what we've come to as a culture?

Reality TV in general gives me the creeps. Sure, there are some competition shows — "American Idol," "The Amazing Race," "America's Got Talent," "Dancing With the Stars," and "Survivor" — that showcase competition. But most of it is contrived, let's be honest. And the rest of "reality" shows enable people to essentially be voyeurs, whether of "normal" people or celebrities. I caught 20 minutes of "Khloe and Kourtney Take Miami" because Lakers' forward Lamar Odom was on and it made me shudder. I actually started to wonder if the Lakers wouldn't be better off without Odom — one of my favorite players on the team — because of the ridiculous distraction his life off the court has become.

Essentially, what I find most disturbing, is that there is nothing edifying from watching these shows. Anyone who believes they're anything less than contrived is deluding themselves, and most of the "stars" are shallow, vapid people leading shallow lives.

Interestingly enough, in 1998 the film "The Truman Show" accurately predicted this is where entertainment was heading. The sad thing is, that film was meant to be ironic in its prediction that people would see reality TV as something real and tangible.

At one point Christof, the creator of "The Truman Show," says, "We've become bored with watching actors give us phony emotions. We are tired of pyrotechnics and special effects. While the world he inhabits is, in some respects, counterfeit, there's nothing fake about Truman himself. No scripts, no cue cards. It isn't always Shakespeare, but it's genuine. It's a life." But it wasn't genuine, it was a consumer-driven lie. So is all of our "reality" TV today.

I guess that's the one good thing you can say about reality TV, it shows the true face of humanity. Shallow, consumer-driven, vindictive, and mean-spirited. You get all of it, because that is our human nature — at least it is without Jesus. Reality TV is a mirror that reflects our values as a culture. Think about that for a minute. Does it scare you? It should, it certainly scares me. But too many people just accept it. Christof also said, "We accept the reality of the world with which we are presented."

That's why our work as Christians is so vital. We need to present the reality of Jesus Christ, because the world has never needed to hear the message more than it does now.