The subtitle of this article is "Too much Reality," which is quite fitting. The article talks about the types of reality shows on German TV, comparing them to their American counterparts, while bemoaning just how far society has slid since they began to be aired. The article claims that, " Big Brother, now in its 10th season in Germany, has become the perfect metaphor for the changes in the television and media culture of the last 10 years," and compares the actual television show to Orwell's novel 1984, since everyone is watched almost everywhere. The article cites American historian Daniel Boorstin"s term "pseudo-event" as applicable to reality shows since they offer a more exciting version of the actual mundane reality of our lives.
I chose this article because I have never seen Big Brother, or hardly any other reality show on television. I have seen brief snippets of Survivor and American Idol, but never found any of them (except for Dancing with the Stars) to be interesting enough. I don't care who wins, and the competitions were stupid in my opinion. It is interesting that German television viewers seem to like the same sort of reality shows as many Americans, so much that some of the shows here have been adapted for German use. I do know from experience that American TV shows are frequently shown in Germany, often dubbed into German. The Simpsons is a runaway hit, South Park is another favorite, Bonanza was loved, and many other shows make their way to German homes.
One of the more interesting points (beside the startling reference to dwarf tossing), was that politician Kurt Beck and Interior Minister Otto Schily are cited as speaking out against reality shows and the negative effect they have on society and culture. I'm not sure whether the U.S. equivalent (Department of Homeland Security/Department of Justice) have spoken out publicly against reality TV specifically, though there is plenty of negative talk about the effect of TV on children, especially violent shows. It seems that both American and German cultures are concerned about influences that will erode the reputation of their "Culture."
This article (by Markus Brauck, Isabell Huelsen and Martin U. Mueller) can be read at:
http://www.spiegel.de/international/zeitgeist/0,1518,670500,00.html
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