Is This The Real Life?

I couldn’t sleep last night. It wasn’t so much insomnia as much as I just wasn’t sleepy enough to go to bed at “bedtime”. So, I ended up staying up until 3:00am watching a short marathon of “Lizard Lick Towing” on TruTV. As entertaining as it can be, let’s just be honest folks. So called Reality TV is so full of shit. Don’t get me wrong. This blog isn’t going to be me trashing Lizard Lick Towing, or any other reality TV show in particular. As I’ve mentioned in the past, I’ve never been a particularly big fan of reality TV, other than cooking shows. They do, however (and unfortunately), have a way of sucking you into watching them, especially when they're on late at night and you can’t sleep.

“Lizard Lick Towing” isn’t the only one that ends up being a guilty pleasure of mine to watch. I also get caught up watching “Hardcore Pawn” (also on TruTV) from time to time. It’s not hard to watch these shows and figure out that, at least some of it, is totally staged. Now, I can image that folks that work in the repossession profession do have people assault them, or even shoot at them. And having worked retail, I can see how the folks on “Hardcore Pawn” do have customers that want to show their ass and act a fool. But, here’s the thing; almost every episode of these shows make it look like that’s all that ever happens, that it’s a daily occurrence. I have to call bullshit on that. I also have to call bullshit on the “we’re broke, so I gotta do this” angle as well. Come on guys. We all know TruTV pays you for being on television. You can’t seriously tell me you’re that behind on your bills that you have no choice but to take a shady repo job for $20,000 cash money out of state.

On top of shows like the ones mentioned above, it seems like reality TV is taking over the airwaves. I blame MTV, frankly. They started this shit with “The Real World” back in 1992. Now we have craptastic shows like “Jersey Shore” and “The Real Housewives” that feature vapid wastes of oxygen starting fights and generally acting like an argument against evolution and making you really wonder about the validity of public education.

Yep, I think I’m glad I bought that Nook a few months ago. If the future of TV is “reality” programming, then I’m glad I really enjoy reading.

~ JC