Life and Stuff

Why are reality shows so popular?  I asked myself this question this morning as I flipped through the TV Guide and saw just how much reality television the mainstream and cable networks play these days.   The reality show is somewhat of a new concept, but it’s been around long enough now that it seems to have some kind of staying power. Why is this?  Why do every-day-Joe’s like watching other every-day-Joe’s do  every-day-type things (as in a Big Brother) or attempt to accomplish things we would never dream of (So You Think You Can Dance).  The best answer I have been able to come up with is that, put plainly, we like to watch other people fail.  It gives us a sense of superiority when we see yet another every-day-Joe fail to reach the high note or slip and fall on the stage.  In cases where supposedly experts are trying to accomplish a task (Hell’s Kitchen) why, that’s even better!  Those people are supposed to know what they’re doing!  It’s this selfish, narcissistic and yet completely human impulse that drives us to the television screen every night.