Has Reality TV Gone Too Far?In one TV program, contestants eat crickets and sheep eyeballs The number of users. "There are 110 eyeballs" means there are 110 users currently online. See eyeball hang time. . In another, friends trick a companion into taking a terrifying ter·ri·fy tr.v. ter·ri·fied, ter·ri·fy·ing, ter·ri·fies 1. To fill with terror; make deeply afraid. See Synonyms at frighten. 2. To menace or threaten; intimidate. car ride. And in still another, 12 people are sealed in a house together, with almost every move captured by 38 cameras. "Reality TV," as these shows are called, crowds this fall's television lineups. Most of the shows put "real people" (non-actors) in bizarre, gross, challenging, and frightening situations, as they pursue a cash prize. Critics have blasted blast·ed adj. 1. Used as an intensive: I hate these blasted flies. 2. Slang Drunk or intoxicated. 3. Blighted, withered, or shriveled. the programs for being in poor taste and setting bad examples. But big audiences still tune into see who will eat the nastiest worm, or take the biggest risk. Are these shows going too far just to attract viewers? Or is TV only giving people what they want? Read both arguments, then decide for yourself. yes It's crude and dangerous So-called Reality TV tries to get people to act like idiots for money. Whether they're screaming while rats crawl To search the Internet for hosts, Web pages or blogs. See crawler. on them or making cruel comments about their friends or teammates, these people are shown at their worst. Is that entertainment? It's certainly not reality--how many worms have you slurped lately? Reality TV can also set dangerous examples. Last January, a 13-year-old Connecticut kid set himself on fire after seeing a similar stunt on one of these shows. He survived, but received second- and third-degree burns third-degree burns npl → brûlures fpl au troisième degré third-degree burns third npl → Verbrennungen pl dritten Grades . When are TV producers going to rein in to check the speed of, or cause to stop, by drawing the reins. to cause (a person) to slow down or cease some activity; - to rein in is used commonly of superiors in a chain of command, ordering a subordinate to moderate or cease some activity deemed excessive. See also: Rein Rein these programs? After someone dies? TV viewers deserve better. no It's what people want to see Television airs programs that people want to watch. Right now, viewers are getting a kick out of Reality TV. It's as simple as that. Survivor, for example, is a huge hit. Viewers want to see how real people deal with these challenges, and wonder if they could handle them. Safety is important, and most of these programs tell viewers that the stunts or situations are dangerous and should not be attempted at home. If kids are reckless reckless adj. in both negligence and criminal cases, careless to the point of being heedless of the consequences ("grossly" negligent). Most commonly this refers to the traffic misdemeanor "reckless driving. or dopey enough to set themselves on fire or try to jump over a moving car, is that the TV show's fault? Get real. If a person doesn't like these kinds of shows, there's a simple solution: Don't watch! |
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