The real world is in decline.
While this statement is true in many ways, I am referring specifically to MTV's classic reality show "The Real World."
I was at the gym this afternoon, and they have little TV screens at every cardio machine that you can plug your headphones into if you care to watch. I was listening to my new iPod, and sort of vaguely staring at the screen in front of me, without hearing the sound to it. Slowly I became aware that whatever I was watching was becoming increasingly pornographic, and then I realized: Oh, it's The Real World.
This might age me a bit (even though I''m not old), but remember when The Real World was cool? I have fond memories of watching the first season of The Real World as a young'un and the big difference between then and now -- and the reason the early seasons were so compelling to me -- was that, sure all those random people were thrown in a house together, but they were all there with a sense of purpose; they had goals, ambitions, and were there to pursue them. That first New York season had the wanna-be dancer, model, rapper, the long-haired band member, the bisexual-intellectual; the show was as much about their group dynamic as their individual pursuits of their dreams. The dancer would exhaust herself in classes; the rapper spent time in the studio; the rocker had concerts; the model had shoots. You know, they had lives.
Cut to Real World: Denver, circa 2007. The episode I caught at the gym today was about 2/3 two housemates making out, and 1/3 actual sex scenes in the house. Yep, actual. Not even that early 2000s-faux modesty of showing hookups in blurry, nightvision green; this was right there, happening, with only the decency of the couple to cover themselves completely in a geometric-print duvet to spare us poor viewers all the goods. On top of this, a portion of the episode featured, via split screen, side-by-side simultaneous sex scenes -- depicting, I assume, two couples going at it in the house, both covered with the same geometric-print duvets, provided, thankfully and conveniently, by the producers. This was immediately followed by footage of said couples frolicking together in the equally-convenient oversized, see-through shower.
I suppose this is what actually happens when you pick seven strangers to live together in a house, when they don't have jobs or goals.
Fast-forward to this evening, when I went on an unexpected trip to see a show, a show written specifically for and about high school students. Like any good gritty high school drama, it featured lots of High School Issues, which included, but were not limited to, teenage pregnancy and relationships. My friend who took me to the show turned to me afterwards and said, "My, things have changed since I went to high school."
Well, if today's teens and pre-teens watch and look up to the folks on The Real World the same way I did when I was their age, it's no wonder.
I was at the gym this afternoon, and they have little TV screens at every cardio machine that you can plug your headphones into if you care to watch. I was listening to my new iPod, and sort of vaguely staring at the screen in front of me, without hearing the sound to it. Slowly I became aware that whatever I was watching was becoming increasingly pornographic, and then I realized: Oh, it's The Real World.
This might age me a bit (even though I''m not old), but remember when The Real World was cool? I have fond memories of watching the first season of The Real World as a young'un and the big difference between then and now -- and the reason the early seasons were so compelling to me -- was that, sure all those random people were thrown in a house together, but they were all there with a sense of purpose; they had goals, ambitions, and were there to pursue them. That first New York season had the wanna-be dancer, model, rapper, the long-haired band member, the bisexual-intellectual; the show was as much about their group dynamic as their individual pursuits of their dreams. The dancer would exhaust herself in classes; the rapper spent time in the studio; the rocker had concerts; the model had shoots. You know, they had lives.
Cut to Real World: Denver, circa 2007. The episode I caught at the gym today was about 2/3 two housemates making out, and 1/3 actual sex scenes in the house. Yep, actual. Not even that early 2000s-faux modesty of showing hookups in blurry, nightvision green; this was right there, happening, with only the decency of the couple to cover themselves completely in a geometric-print duvet to spare us poor viewers all the goods. On top of this, a portion of the episode featured, via split screen, side-by-side simultaneous sex scenes -- depicting, I assume, two couples going at it in the house, both covered with the same geometric-print duvets, provided, thankfully and conveniently, by the producers. This was immediately followed by footage of said couples frolicking together in the equally-convenient oversized, see-through shower.
I suppose this is what actually happens when you pick seven strangers to live together in a house, when they don't have jobs or goals.
Fast-forward to this evening, when I went on an unexpected trip to see a show, a show written specifically for and about high school students. Like any good gritty high school drama, it featured lots of High School Issues, which included, but were not limited to, teenage pregnancy and relationships. My friend who took me to the show turned to me afterwards and said, "My, things have changed since I went to high school."
Well, if today's teens and pre-teens watch and look up to the folks on The Real World the same way I did when I was their age, it's no wonder.
posted by Adam at 10:50 PM
1 Comments:
I hereby promise to only have filmed sex while under a geometric print bedspread.
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