Shame On Who?

Politics here has gotten crazy. You may have read about the Congressman who uttered "liar" as President Obama spoke (and did lie) about health insurance last week. The issue of civility and shame came about when the incident happened.Have you no shame? If you answered yes to that question, you may be in a dwindling minority today. Shame has become an almost quaint and distant feeling, and it's ...well..a shame that it is so. We need far more often to accept blame for the negative things that we ourselves bring about. It's healthy for a society as a whole as well as for the individual's character. But one would only have to look at modern TV shows to see the shameless state in which we live.

I know TV doesn't create public behavior. There isn't more violence in society because violence is a staple of many TV shows. And no one can seriously contend that there is comedy on the streets because of the comedy we see on TV. Television merely reflects what society holds to be true or dear. It is a good barometer of what is happening in a society and in showing what society believes and holds dear. The most successful of TV formats here and in most other countries is the most shameless of all- reality TV. It's a TV format that pushes the lack of shame to astounding levels.

I confess to never having watched any of those reality TV programs, but I am bombarded with commercials for them when watching any other show and this gives me the "right" to comment on them. Those commercials show clips from the shows, clips that are so idiotic and shameless I am embarrassed to watch them. Too, I had to use Google to locate the names and specifics of them to write with specificity here about this. But my point is that TV is in part a shameless medium, a reflection of the lack of shame humans display in real life society.

By shamelessness I mean that people do not accept blame for things they are responsible when they turn out to be negative events. When we have shame we are forced to judge our behavior against a morality. When we have shame we act morally better. But look at the poor souls on reality TV shows who sell their souls in return for humiliation and a cash prize. A few minutes of notoriety, even highly negative notoriety is the prize for the contestants. And the viewers.....they seem to enjoy the shame they see and view it as normal.

The singular aspect to all of those reality shows is that people (contestants) are humiliated, and often they are too dense or insensitive (because of the lack of shame today, perhaps) to know or care that they are being degraded. In the case of one called "Survivor", contestants pretend they are surviving a contrived danger that isn't really dangerous at all (their lunches are catered between scenes and medical personal and comfort creatures are there for the asking when the camera isn't rolling). They pretend to survive and the viewers pretend to believe they are surviving because along the way embarrassment reigns.

The one called "American Idol" is said to be the highest rated of al reality showsl. In that show contestants are verbally assaulted by a trio of quasi celebrities as they do their best to sing songs for the judges. The judges don't just approve or encourage to try again. They excoriate the rejected contestants, often with personal insults. Ridicule is seen as part of the process one must go in becoming an "idol". But how can anyone who subjects him or herself to such and exercise be anything but shameless?In "Fear Factor" men and women are asked to do stunts they are either not capable of doing or are too afraid of doing.

But why? What is the point beyond watching them embarrass themselves and their reputations. The last one standing is given the honor of being told, "evidently fear is not a factor for you". I suppose it's a perverted way the contestants and audience see for gaining honor. Obviously they do not know the meaning of the shame they commit when they appear on the show. Haha I hope their mom doesn't see them on display....Project Runway lets contestants compete with each other to create the best clothes. Contestants are usually restricted in time, materials, and theme. Their designs are judged and one or more designers are eliminated (with insults and questions about their self worth thrown in at departure time) each week. As far as I can tell from the brief commercials have seen promoting the show, an integral part of that show is to make the contestants appear stupid, both in their ability to design and in their eagerness to be tongue-lashed by the "professionals' who guide them in the contest.

The concept of one called Wife Swap is bizarre! Two families, usually from vastly different social classes and lifestyles, swap wives/mothers (and sometimes husbands) for two weeks. In fact, the program swaps wives with extreme, polar opposite lifestyles, such as a dramatically messy wife swapping with a fastidiously neat one. Despite the wife swapping phrase of the title, couples participating in the show do not swap sex with the "swapped" spouse while "swapping" homes. It may be the only shred of taste in the show. Along the way each spouse verbally attacks the swapped one, traumatizes the children and shows not a speck of sensitivity or taste.

I could go on about the endless list of those reality shows. My Google search gave me many more information about those curious TV shows that are the favorites of viewers in most countries. As shameless as the shows are for making money off shameless behavior, I think that those who watch them may be the most shameless thing about any of them.