Reality?

According to Vox, 750 reality shows flickered across television screens in the U.S. in 2015. To me, this is astounding. They generally have no appeal to me.

That's not to say that I haven't watched a couple to see what all the hype was about. I have to admit that I caught a couple seasons of The Real World and maybe part of the first season of Survivor. I may have even watched one or two episodes of The Bachelor/The Bachelorette. That's it.

My primary objection is the faux sheen of "reality." There is nothing real about any of these shows. They are edited to create a desired narrative. Also, I hope that people are acting for the camera. I mean, I hope they're acting. How else to explain so much awful behavior.

It is that on-screen behavior that causes me the most concern. Society is choosing to make people famous for often reprehensible behavior on these shows. Why did Richard Hatch, the first survivor, have 15 minutes of fame? Or Omorosa? Or Snooki? Or Donald Trump? We have elevated the loudest, the crudest to stardom. Saying what's on your mind is now an admirable trait. It's considered authentic. I, however, question if all of those words spoken on reality shows are actually what's on the speaker's mind or if those are carefully calculated and scripted words, used to capture the spotlight.

I'm beginning to see social media, especially Twitter, in the same way. Say or do something outrageous. Go viral. Get famous. Repeat. We are helping lazy people become famous. Become president.

If we really want to resist, spend less time engaging on-line. Talk to people in real life. Volunteer somewhere. Don't share posts of those seeking fame for fame's sake, just so you can make your own snarky remark. Turn off the television. Don't buy the magazine with the latest reality "stars' on the cover. I'm trying hard to follow my own advice. I'm pretty sure we can make this better by shifting our reality from the screen to our own front porch.

Is the Time Right?

Now that the U.S. has elected its first (and I hope last) reality television President, perhaps the publishing world is now ready for my novel. Is that how it works?

My book is about a teacher whose school is the subject of a new reality show.  It doesn't go well and the damage caused is long-lasting.  That probably isn't really shocking to people. Just the same, there are dozens of similar shows on television and each of them have some sort of following.  Many of those watchers even believe that the shows are real, unscripted.

With Donald Trump in office, has the time come for my book to be relevant?  Characters in the book behave cruelly to each other, just like the President has done. The school has to deal with the policies that have been pursued by the current Secretary of Education, when she was a private, wealthy donor, though she isn't mentioned. On a weekly basis, people tune in to follow the drama, as if real people aren't on the screen. People retweet the President's rants and insults, like it's a game.

There is only one way to find out, start sending it out to agents and publishers.