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February 10, 2012
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David G. Savage: Why activists may not be in a hurry to have High Court rule on alternative marriage
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Kimberly Palmer: How to actually enjoy -- relaxing, financially -- your vacation
February 8, 2012
Warren Richey: Why momentous Prop. 8 ruling might not satisfy gay-rights groups
Menachem Wecker: Though Controversial, LL.M.'s Can Lead to Specialized Legal Jobs
The Kosher Gourmet byDana Velden: Going to the bother of making soup? You know it better be good. This CREAM OF TOMATO SOUP certainly is! And it's a cinch to make, too (Includes techinques and serving secrets)
February 7, 2012
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Suzanne Bohan: Leaping lizards! Tiny reptiles advancing robot design
February 6, 2012
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Jeffrey Fleishman: In newly democratic Egypt, tens of democracy activists jailed, to stand trial; their groups are 'threatening the stability of the homeland'
Julie Deardorff : Researchers say antioxidants may not be that effective and could do more harm than good
Mark Clayton: How did Anonymous hackers eavesdrop on FBI and Scotland Yard?
February 3, 2012
Edmund Sanders : Israeli official says Iran is creating missile that could reach East Coast of US
Victoria Kim: Immigrant-smuggling ring used black drivers to avoid racial profiling
February 2, 2012
Jim Carney: Wrong number call may have saved her life
Reza Kahlili : Ex-CIA spy in Iran's Revolutionary Guard: What Obama doesn't grasp about striking deals with Tehran
Tina Susman: For woodchuck rescuer, every day is Groundhog Day
February 1, 2012
Brian Bennett: US officials see increasing threat of domestic attack from Iran
Emily Brandon: How to Take Advantage of New 401(k) Fee Disclosures
January 31, 2012
January 30, 2012
Paul Richter and Ramin Mostaghim: Misreading Teheran's limits -- deadly and economically devastating as they may be -- is a risk administration, Europe seem willing to take
Suzanne Bohan: Warning: Nap-deprived tots missing more than sleep, study finds
Meg Handley: Banks Revamping Rewards Programs to Woo Customers
January 27, 2012
Caroline B. Glick: Obama: Of course I intend to prevent a nuclear holocaust . . . in a few months
Yochonon Donn: In liberal New York City, fervently-Orthodox Jews may soon be getting a district to call their own
Jeannine Stein: An inflated ego and thinking you're 'all that' doesn't just make others sick of you, it can make you ill
Katy Hopkins: New budget rules may affect how much money you get for college
January 26, 2012
Ed Koch: To the New York Times, calling for the murder of Jews by those capable of having their incitement taken seriously isn't news
Jeannine Stein: Mental illness struck one in five U.S. adults in 2010: Report
January 25, 2012
Richard Simon: House passes two bills endorsing the use of religious symbols at military memorials
Fred Weir: Putin: Multiethnic Russia cannot survive as a US-style 'melting pot'; must find its own way
Susan Johnston: 5 Sneaky Coupon Strategies Consumers Should Watch Out For
January 24, 2012
Carol Clark: The price of your soul: How your brain decides whether to 'sell out'
Caroline B. Glick: America lost most in 'Arab Spring'. Sadly, many voters still don't grasp the extent
Warren Richey: Drug criminal scores win in GPS ruling from conservative-leaning high court
Erika Bolstad: Black conservatives gather to talk about gaining strength
January 23, 2012
Melissa Dribben: Jewish voters to play a key role in Florida's Republican primary
Jordan Rau: In quest to grow, Catholic hospital system will announce this morning its break from church
Ali Safi: U.S. envoy gives Taliban terms for peace talks
January 19, 2012
January 18, 2012
January 17, 2012
Frank J. Gaffney Jr.: No-kidding red lines: U.S. response to an Iranian nuke may be bluster, but Israel's won't be
David G. Savage: They sued their principals after slandering them online --- now the cases are headed to the Supreme Court
David Francis: Where to Invest in 2012: With stocks expected to rebound, opportunity abounds for investors
January 13, 2012
Ben Lynfield: Israeli lawmakers move to annex Jewish Judea, one museum at a time
Alexia Elejalde-Ruiz: Thriving through touch: Gentle massage helps older people with low mobility improve in mind and body
January 12, 2012
Warren Richey: Landmark Supreme Court ruling a 'resounding win' for religious groups
Warren Richey: Supreme Court says no to new rule on eyewitness testimony
John Fauber : Statins found to raise diabetes risk in postmenopausal women
Katy Hopkins : Consider This Before You Pay for an Online Degree
The Kosher Gourmet by Joseph Erdos: This mushroom and barley soup has an intense -- almost nutty -- flavor that mixes robust with Middle East. It has creaminess without cream
January 11, 2012
Shari Roan: Millions of atrial fibrillation sufferers at risk for devastating, but preventable, stroke
Tom Hussain: Pakistan -- recipient of more than $21 billion in civilian and military aid -- speeds pursuit of Iranian pipeline, defying US
David G. Savage: High court signals it won't be loosening TV's 'indecency' rules
Stephen Ceasar: Oklahoma's Islamic law amendment can't go into effect, court rules
January 10, 2012
Reza Kahlili: From an ex-CIA spy: US must exploit new split in Iran's Revolutionary Guard
Karen Kaplan: Study: Nicotine replacement products ineffective when used in real-life situations
January 9, 2012
Michael Doyle: Put through legal hell over dream home, couple fought back hard --- all the way to Supreme Court
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Jewish World Review
June 1, 2009
/ 9 Sivan 5769
Pity the reality fools? Not me
By
Mitch Albom
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http://www.JewishWorldReview.com |
"Are you keeping up with this Jon and Kate thing?" my colleague asked.
No, I said.
"Everyone's talking about it. It's huge!"
I don't doubt that. But "huge" is not the same as important.
"It's a reality show!"
That's particularly true of reality shows.
"It's unbelievable!"
No. Sadly. It's very believable. Reality TV has now done what we once feared robots would do. It has created its own world, with its own rules, and is now infecting the very society that created it.
Take Jon and Kate Gosselin, a Pennsylvania couple who tried fertility treatments, had twins, tried again, and had sextuplets. They soon become the center of a TV reality show that followed their harried lives. That show, "Jon & Kate Plus 8" is now in its fifth season, and is bigger than ever.
"Huge!" as my colleague says.
However, it is huge because the couple is fighting, the husband is suspected of having an affair, the wife is suspected of wanting to have one, and gasp! who knows? Maybe they'll split up! There's so much tension!
"This is certainly not what I envisioned I was signing up for," Kate recently told an audience during an appearance in Muskegon, Mich. "When I see magazines in stores it's really difficult. It amazes me there is an industry that follows you around and writes stories about you."
EXPLOITING THE CHILDREN
Now, forget for a moment, the sheer audacity of a woman whose family gets paid, reportedly, $75,000 per episode to let cameras follow her around all day to act surprised that gossip magazines follow her around as well.
What did she think? They were making home movies? The fact that she, her husband, and pretty much anyone else on a reality show morphs from "normal" looking people to better-coiffed, better-dressed, better-made-up looking people quickly tells you they are all for being followed around. It is, in fact, their job to be followed around.
But I can't accept, spend time or engage in conversation with people who want to debate whether Kate or Jon is the wronged party. Or whether they feel sorry for all those kids, who sometimes use the words "p-people" to describe paparazzi. (Personally, I would have those children removed from the home out of concern that five years in front of TV cameras is reckless endangerment to their well-being.)
But I can't give the subject real time, because it's not a real subject. These are not real problems. Signing up for a TV show, then complaining that the cameras are ruining your life is not a real situation. It's like dressing up as Cinderella and then complaining that everyone wants you to try on slippers.
A FAUX REALITY
Take the case of Susan Boyle, the dowdy volunteer church worker who wowed the judges during auditions of "Britain's Got Talent." Recent reports had her cursing at photographers who wouldn't leave her alone. She even reportedly threatened to quit the show.
Now, whether she did or didn't isn't, to me, a real subject. Like everyone else on a reality TV show, at no moment did someone put a gun to her head and say, "You must be on this." She did so willingly, even excitedly. What happens as a result takes place in a bizarre world, where you only have famous people's problems because you signed onto to trying to be famous. You are, whether you realize it or not, getting what you wanted.
The same can't be said of laid-off auto workers, young widowed mothers, abandoned children and unable-to-find-a-job graduates. No one is making reality shows about them. Unless they want to go to an island, eat bugs or have multiple births.
So you'll excuse me if the reality of the real world renders the reality of the reality world pathetic. The old expression was "penny for your thoughts." Now its dollars for your privacy. But you couldn't give me a million bucks to make my daily life a conversation about the problems of publicity vampires like Jon and Kate.
I don't care how "huge" it gets.
Every weekday JewishWorldReview.com publishes what many in the media and Washington consider "must-reading". Sign up for the daily JWR update. It's free. Just click here.
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