Daily Thanks - Day 38 - Reality Television

Every day we have something to be thankful for. Today I am thankful for reality television.

Humans are truly an interesting species. Who would've thought that after coming so far and progressing so much in the art of entertainment, all we really wanted to do was watch ourselves. If Freud was alive today I think that he would be a reality television producer. The whole experience to him would be like a free rein theme park of psychoanalysis. The "id" working at it's highest potential! For the participants and the viewer.....

Being an avid film lover, I have always been one to turn my nose up at reality television. However, as I got older I learned to separate these shows from any category of creative expression. I also learned to avoid calling it mindless entertainment that would contribute to an inevitable decline in the human brain developmental process. I now find it to be sincerely educational. Who would've thought that putting a neurotic cowboy, a rapper, and a gay filipino dancer in a space ship with 3 sluts, a case of rum and a brick of cocaine would be a recipe for conflict and situational humor. I sure didn't.... but thanks for showing me the light.

Some situations that you can witness on a reality television show may include: drunken hot tub makeout sessions, drunken brawling, drunken sex while completely hidden under the covers in some sort of attempt at being inconspicuous while muttering "I can't believe I'm doing this", people crushing on each other, people hating on each other, some extremely haggard "morning after" faces, too many strategically placed commercial breaks, seeing yourself fall into a depressing catatonic state of obsession with the lives of others, etc.

Reality television is like the losing of your virginity. It's messy, rudimentary, and can leave you feeling ashamed, but you usually come out of it having learned something. If there is one thing that I have learned from recent mega-hit reality show "Jersey Shore", it's that the only thing better than filling a house with a handful of people that are all completely different, it's filling a house with a handful of people that are all exactly the same. I have also learned quite a bit about hair and tan maintenance and the art of "fist pumping". Thanks guys.

So let's all take a moment and say "Today I am thankful for reality television". Unless you have had your life ruined as a result of being on a reality show in which case you must say "fuck the guy that convinced me that being on reality tv would give me a prosperous future. Jesus, and I blew him...... I knew I should've stayed in nursing school. At least I've got my new edgy love ballad album coming out entitled "You think you know me, bitch?"

Thanks for listening. Check back for more things to be thankful for in days to come.