The gateway was a 12-hour PBS documentary series I saw (Pre-Anna Nicole Show) re-aired, "An American Family." It profiled the Louds, a family anyone would envy from the outside. Dad might have been distant but he brought in a fat paycheck that Mom doled out amongst the household full of teens with various issues and dreams in early 1970's Southern California. I watched as this symbol of the American Dream went from happiness to divorce. It was a riveting look inside an American family and I was hooked to the docu-realism of the format. The intrigue laid not in the families material posessions but the look into the heart of a family, it's dynamics and humanity. Today's reality show has veered from this as it reflects a different era, the era of greed.
One can hardly turn a channel without coming across a reality show. Gone are the days when situation comedies were king. As much as we claim to hate reality T.V. the numbers don't lie-- we watch. Each one its own train wreck as the egos of real life players collide. I've had both men and women, gay and straight, make mention of the ladies of VH1, BET and Bravo, with or without shame.
I don't watch them all but enough to know that it is a window into a world where the 98 percent only dream of living. It's odd to me, but many aspire to the lavishness that surround most reality celebs. The cars, homes, clothes, jewelry and vacations are enviable, but I haven't deluded myself to think that it is within my future short of winning the lottery. But if you really are on the way to building an empire, like Kim K. or T.I. and Tiny, more power to you.
Now, in the era of reality t.v., we can gossip ad naseum about people we do not know. Their presence or lack of integrity, fashion sense and common sense. We weigh in on the famous (many of whom are known simply for being famous) as the Ancients weighed in on the lives of gods. Apparently, it's just in our genes to speculate on the lives of others. When doing so we form bonds of commonality with our peers.
The question that arises is what type of person puts their life before camera for the world to see, warts and all? I can only surmise that it's the type that seeks immense fame. Our societal values have shifted to where the desire for fame has become a principle quest. In a recent survey of today's youth, the desire for fame has eclipsed every other value. They see lights and cameras, not discipline and education, as the way to get ahead. Who can blame them? Fame comes with lots of money and appears so glamorous and easy, especially to a generation raised with a sense of entitlement, three to four generations removed from The Great Depression. It's ironic that during the worst economy in generations American popular culture continues to propagate the notion that easy living is easily had.
Nothing could be further from the truth. Fame is an aberration not a birthright. Millions desire it but few are chosen by the finicky club of elite tastemakers and trendsetters. I'm still trying to figure out just how the cast of "Jersey Shore" has captivated millions by simply partying and hooking up with "Guidos" and "Grenades." Their carrying-ons are laughable. However, each cast member is laughing all the way to the bank as they each become a brand, one by one.
It's tempting to envy the lifestyles of the wives, wifeys and moguls that make up our t.v. viewing. It's almost cruel for the media to tout the wealth of a few as an aspiration as it is statistically impossible for the average person to become a baller. We blame ourselves for our everyday, budget-ridden circumstances. We are told by politicians that if we are not rich it's our fault. We internalize this and our self-esteem quietly takes a hit. We begin to believe that people with money deserve all the things that've accumulated since Reagan.
What we are glued to, in my opinion, many without realizing it, is the picture of stolen wealth. Step right up, Folks! This is where the all your raises, pensions, 401Ks and losses in the market have gone. The super rich who have gotten exponentially richer over the past 30 years due to trickle-down economics provide those in the new money club of celebrity with pieces of your stolen assets.
I'm looking at the televised lives of the rich and celebrated more and more as a portal into American greed. The product of 30 years of fleecing the American masses. Instead of watching out of adoration, I watch out of amazement that the disparities between the rich and not are so vast. The sense of entitlement most reality celebs seem to share in the way they flaunt their value for superficial things is astounding. Meanwhile, we sink deeper and deeper as a culture into a materialism that can never fill the hole in our collective soul. We have gotten the meaning of life so terribly wrong in American society and we're spreading it around the globe.
As hard as it is to swallow in the era of greed, material wealth is not the key to happiness. I didn't stutter. Now, I ain't going to lie like money doesn't make the world go around. By all moral means, get paid. However, when we are at a point where there is no such thing as enough money and notoriety we lose sight of the importance of the wealth to be had from who we truly are as human beings. The wealth that doesn't come from material things but comes from expanding the mind and spirit, being kind and giving to others and maintaining the biggest, most opulent home of all, our Planet Earth.
