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Should we boycott use of children in reality shows?

It seems hard to argue that the children are not being exploited in shows like "Supernanny", where the success of the show depends on getting the kids to behave horribly on camera and showing the entire nation. Why don't we all just refuse to watch?

http://amfix.blogs.cnn.com/2009/10/23/just-sayin%E2%80%99-%E2%80%93-should-kids-be-reality-tv-stars/
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unwirklich
unwirklich
Marked as Best! November 02, 2009 02:40 AM
Why don't we boycott reality tv in general? Lol I can't stand reality tv, why not just go and live in reality rather than watching it?

So clearly on the first part of the question, I feel yes we should. In my opinion shows like Supernanny actually reinforce the negative behavior in the kids. How is putting them on tv (which is super cool for a kid that age) for their bad behavior going to stop it?

As for the second question, why don't we refuse to watch, I don't think most people that watch reality tv stop and think about the effect the show is having on the people on it. They become characters just like any other tv show and we often forget they are real people not actors. In short people are too selfish to care to stop watching. Entertainment is entertainment.
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gno
gno
November 02, 2009 02:48 AM
Again, I'll contend that the lines of "reality tv" have become blurred. What would've been called a "game show" 20 years ago, is now called a "reality show". Same with "talk shows". Or "docu-dramas".

Can we just say we want to boycott trash tv? I think that covers it all, no matter what you label it.
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unwirklich
unwirklich
November 02, 2009 02:56 AM
Amen.

I pretty much have, my tv is only on about an hour a day and it's noggin (now nickjr.) for the munchin. He loves the freshbeat band. Well, and I watch House MD every week. I blame the hospital when I was in recovery from my labor there was a marathon on and that was the only channel I got. lol
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gno
gno
November 02, 2009 02:45 AM
Well, first we'd have to define what really IS a "reality show".

Some more resemble game shows.

Some more resemble talk shows (like Oprah or Dr. Phil)

Some more resemble documentaries.

When it comes to talk show-type "reality shows", like "Supernanny", I really don't have a big problem with them. The kids are only exposed to the television world for one episode, and hopefully get some real benefit out of it. Plus, the parents have very little to gain in terms of fame and money, so I see little risk in exploitation.

When it comes to documentary-type "reality shows", I used to not have a problem with them, but after the "Jon & Kate" debacle, I can't stomach supporting these shows, and WILL boycott them. My sick need for voyeurism can easily be satiated by adult idiots on reality shows. No need to drag kids into it.

Same goes for the game show-type "reality shows". Remember "Kid Nation"? It should've been cute and innocent. But it ended up being creepy and exploitative. So I'm going to pass.

And if we tune out, we get to have a say in what is programmed on tv!
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cmajaski
cmajaski
November 02, 2009 02:46 AM
I don't like reality tv and I don't watch it. Except for the cooking shows on Food Network- I love Iron Chef.

But, yes I wish we could boycott children in reality tv. Sometimes even just tv in general. I hate seeing kids in horror movies or dramas with inappropriate themes.

What people don't realize is that while children are developing and growing up, what they experience and see directly affects who they become. You cannot take anything back when they are grown up that you figure out by then was a mistake. You can't say well, we shouldn't have let you be in that television show so can you forget about it and not let it affect you.

I guess in my own way I have boycotted these things. I don't watch it and neither does my child.
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jillbeth
jillbeth
November 02, 2009 11:44 AM
I detest reality shows, especially the ones that use children as the focal point. My guess is that as soon as supernanny gets those kids to behave for the camera and leaves, the kids revert back to their own unruly behavior. I can get my own grandkids to fly right when I'm here, but I know that as soon as I leave the house they become holy terrors for their mom again. What it really comes down to is whether or not the kids learn any respect for their parents.

Reality shows usually show people at their worst, because that's what viewers want to see, for some reason. I don't consider that entertainment. Perhaps their own lives are so dull that they are living vicariously through the show's participants. That mind-set is behind celebrity worship, too. I'm more concerned with what's going on in my own life---I don't care what those goofballs on TV or in Hollywood are doing.
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rondata
rondata
November 05, 2009 03:38 AM
I hate reality shows. Get rid of them all together. They're just exploiting people and children for financial gain. Think about how much it actually costs to film a reality show. It costs practically nothing in terms of regular shows. It's cheap, it's full of drama, and that's why people do it. Reality show people get money from magazines, interviews, etc - but in the grand scheme of things THEY ARE CHEAP. That's why they do it, and I think it all needs to go away :P
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