i grew up during the inception of reality tv. in the beginning, reality tv was exciting. it was spontaneous. the producers, who were working in uncharted waters, could not necessarily control the situation. it was a departure from the traditional programming, i.e. situation comedy or cop shows.
tv, however, intends to deliver both therapy, as a mood stabilizer, and serves to reinforce one’s beliefs. particular shows are designed for you to essentially see and feel the same thing every time. for instance, if i want to get cheered up, put on an episode of “i love lucy.”
when reality tv, grew to be an industry, it ran into a problem. spontaneous and unpredictable are sensational because because they rarely happen. thus, reality tv, in order to generate content, shifted to becoming scripted. “so called” reality was created to to churn out programs.
apparently, news organizations have fallen into this trap. a reported racial incident occurred at a byu college sporting event. the story’s facts were ridiculous. essentially, a fan yelled out racial epithets at one particular player essentially each time she handled the ball. conventional wisdom is that, if it was true, others in attendance would have requested the individual be removed. byu, a mormon college, is not the institution where one would suspect this would happen. having known mormons for many years, if this occurred, other fans would have confronted the individuals over such a disgusting act immediately. the mormons i know are some of the nicest people i have ever met.
nevertheless, news organizations, without a thorough investigation, accepted as if it happened. it was a shiny act of hatred that fit their programming. it was part of their narrative and their script. the fact that the false narrative slandered a community was sadly inconsequential. a formal investigation reported that the allegations unfounded. thegrio.com byu even apologized to the fan who was alleged to have made the comment. will news organizations apologize for their failure to investigate? they have been hit with deserved criticism washingtontimes.com
the programming of feelings and emotions is something ancient in humans. campfires with songs and tales were the entertainment for early humanity. we have learned and are capable of experiencing events without actually experiencing them. the colosseum is one history’s harsh examples. there, crowds could witness both victory and death. today, programmers sadly are willing to offer experiences that are not only false but slander and libel communities.
in sum, while prejudice exists, the slandering and libeling of individuals and communities over false allegations of prejudice is unacceptable. as much as the alleged victim should be afforded the opportunity to make allegations, those who wish to accept those allegations as true should take the time to obtain the accused’s side of the story. sadly, it is true naivety to walk through this world believing that everyone is both truthful and with good intentions.
be well!!
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