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Jordan McDonald’s Living on the Edge: American Televison

Written by Jordan McDonald, The Eagle Columnist

Editor’s Note: We’d like to introduce you to yet another talented columnist and a young man who has some very strong opinions. There’s always an “edgy-ness” to Jordan’s comments, and today, he takes on the state of American television, 2011.

Since the 1930s, Americans have fallen in love with the video camera. People have always loved those funny programs that came on in mid-afternoon. But now it’s 2011, and America’s obsession with film is beginning to take it’s toll.

Reality TV

You’re Cut Off! is a great example of how stupid “reality” TV is. For those of you who have never heard of it, it’s basically a show about several spoiled rich girls who get their finances taken away by their parents and are forced to live life on a lower scale, from working at a fast-food restaurant to living in a remote country. Now, I can agree with what these parents are doing, but why film it? How is this in any way entertaining?

Big Brother is another stupid one. It’s where a group of people are put into a house, cut off from the outside world, and continuously watched via hidden camera. What makes this show utterly unentertaining is the fact that while these people are in the house, they do normal human behavior. It’s like watching yourself on television.

There isn’t too much I can say about Jersey Shore. It’s one of the more likeable reality shows, I’ll admit, but it still is a reality show, nonetheless. After a while, watching people live in New Jersey gets boring. A noticeable thing that Jersey Shore does is attempt to portray the state of New Jersey in a positive light – which, from these pair of eyes – is impossible. To me, New Jersey is no different from Nebraska or Iowa. There’s nothing glamorous about it.

Punk’d – a show about celebrities getting pranked. The only thing funny about it is their reactions. They should let us film this one, with our own friends. Maybe then it would be more entertaining. Then again, I wouldn’t want to see friendships shattering left and right because of that.

Ah, yes, The Biggest Loser – another failed attempt at making entertainment out of something most people do on a daily basis. It tells the story of a group of people on a quest to lose weight. If it were left up to me, I’d add more plot to it, simply because as soon as the show is over, we forget these people, their names, their weight, and then we move on to another stupid show.

Talent Competitions

I can understand why some people love American Idol. It’s because it’s fun to laugh at how bad people are at singing, and their reactions to being turned down. I’ll admit, Simon’s insults are hilarious. But apart from all of this, there’s isn’t much to watch. Some great singers have been born from American Idol, even ones that I listen to, but still, it’s really not that entertaining until they’ve got their own record deal.

I used to love America’s Got Talent for the same reason I loved American Idol. But it’s long since dried up. The key to having a good television show is to keep your audience guessing. With a show like this, it’s just the same thing over and over again.

Documentaries

Most people don’t know this, but I love documentaries. However, I tend to stay away from the abominations that live on TLC, The Discovery Channel, National Geographic, and other such networks.

19 Kids and Counting is exactly what I mean about the lack of originality in this country. It’s about the daily life of 2 conservative Christians and their 19 kids. Since they’re super religious, they entertain themselves accordingly – as in limited TV and Internet use. They explain that they let God determine the amount of kids they have. Now this isn’t me ripping on religion, but the amount of kids you have is your decision and your decision alone. Just don’t make the mistake of filming it like these people did.

Deadliest Catch – you all knew this one was coming. Don’t get me wrong, I love it. I’m just a little bit more critical than some people. My stance on this show is that if we’re going to film a person’s job, then how come we aren’t filming everyone’s job? I’d love to see a day in the life of a pro football player, well, If I could manage to get past all the cars and poor spending habits, that is.

Basically my point is that we live in a time where the only good things to watch on TV are animated sitcoms and cop shows. If American entertainment continues on this path, we’re all doomed.