pizza party

             Reality TV. Apparently, we all love it. The Nielsen ratings show that virtually all of America's favorite programming consists of reality based TV shows, and new reality series' are being created by the minute to satiate the masses' thirst for programming designed for effortless consumption. That sucks. We, as a nation, are becoming dumber by watching these shoddily made shows which already reflect our de-evolving nature. But I want to trace this problem back to its root, which I think lies within the country of Japan.
             Don't get me wrong, I love Nintendo and Power Rangers and sushi and all that shit, but some of the game shows over there are just fucked up. They were the ones who started the reality TV trend. And I think it's they who have contributed to the deterioration of traditional wholesome American TV programming like Macgyver, or Soul Train. Those were shows that demonstrated guile, as well as style. But the Japanese culture just had to instigate our downward spiral.
             I remember being about ten years old and going into the video store with my friend to rent a video, and came across a particular cassette box which piqued our interest. It was decorated with flashy neon colors and Japanese kanji, and the only English word on the box, in big bright letters, was "Endurance". The pictures on the back showed what appeared to be Japanese contestants of a game-show who were making various expressions of pain. My friend's step-father, Rusty, had apparently overlooked the NC-17 sticker and rented the movie for us, as well as a copy of Porky's for himself. Later that night, the Japanese culture had assaulted my fragile mind. Contestants were put in Medieval torture devices to see how long they could "endure" in exchange for money. It was riveting. And mind you, this show as well as others like it had been around in Japan years before we experienced reality TV in our culture....

More Essays:

APA     MLA     Chicago
pizza party. (1969, December 31). In MegaEssays.com. Retrieved 08:12, March 29, 2024, from https://www.megaessays.com/viewpaper/18291.html