Somewhere in the bowels of CBS corporate is a Sociologist who ought to be punched in the face. The more I study the lineup of shows the corp produces the more I recognize s/he exists and is putting the good knowledge of sociology to profitable and terrible use.
Survivor, Big Brother, The Amazing Race–all of these things are more than just reality shows. They are classic social tropes and stereotypes slammed together awkwardly in an effort to reinforce our understanding of stereotypes and perhaps redefine them. Not in a positive way, of course. Instead the shows this channel produces relies on our basic perceptions of stereotypes to create tensions and forge fan bases for one group or another. This is best evidenced in the Amazing Race where the groups are so thoroughly ‘typed’ that every season you can expect a homosexual or lesbian team, an ehtnic team, and a standard ‘white’ couple. This never fails, not in 20 seasons.
So, I want to punch that Sociologist in the face. Why? Because it takes a knowledgeable individual to discern what stereotypes would draw the most viewer market and how pitting certain groups against each other makes for great ratings. These competing teams give each other hashtag nicknames and regular citizens create miles of tweets praising or damning them, all the while remaining completely engaged. This is great for ratings but is also a reinforcement of the stereotypes being projected. The dumb blonde team always uses their looks to get by and we are reminded what ‘those women’ are like.
I get that this is tv–reality tv even. Unfortunately, the idea that people don’t find some truth in television is no longer reliable. We base ourselves around the things we see on tv and online. We watch news shows that cater to our particular perceptions and build a reality that media reinforces, even if it isn’t reality at all.
I wonder if this is the future my kids have to look forward to…