The clashing of reality TV and U.S. politics has continued to get worse and worse in recent years. A person can barely tell the difference between the two, and this sensation just continues to prove to American citizens that the emphasis on “sensationalism” and “scandals” in political discourse transforms their media presence into a mirror of what reality TV has become.
This phenomenon has only continued to worsen through the years and is a rising problem in the United States of America. How or when this common occurrence started is a complete mystery, but perhaps it was when a reality star was elected as president. When you mix these two worlds, the line between reality and politics blurs, creating a drama this country does not need.
Political leaders are not supposed to be celebrities; they are meant to help the people of this country, and politicians are not doing that. In this day and age, we have political leaders using money to benefit themselves, corrupting the government, and doing anything and everything to benefit themselves rather than doing the job they were assigned to do and working for this Nation.
The problem only continues to grow as more and more governmental and public leaders resemble the same drama such as in Keeping Up with the Kardashians. Where people with too much money create drama and problems to get people talking. The increasing fact that celebrities and political leaders are becoming the same continues to push its way through the modern media and take precedence over any other meaningful topics that should be spoken about. The drama surrounding political discourse seems more valued than the actual people at their expense.
Political leaders creating docu-reality-like or even South Park-comedy-style plots at the cost of the U.S. populace will only bring the country down, rather than building and fixing it like so many public figures promise. There needs to be an understanding of the differences, or incidents such as the political leader involved in being inappropriate with her partner at a family-friendly showing of Beetlejuice, which will only continue to get worse and even more unnecessary in the future.
The two vastly different forms of public presentation have continued to mix in a dangerous recipe for disaster. This has changed the very nature of what political discourse should look like and the perspective and expectations of what the government and politics should be. The people are more drawn to those who show charisma and a slight charm. However, reality TV is just that. It is TV for the entertainment of the people, and those reality TV show stars are acting to draw in audiences into their dramatics. That is the same for political leaders in this day and age. People are more drawn to the dramatization, rather than the importance of government.
The biggest thing to realize with the insanity that is becoming this phenomenon is the distrust many will start to grow with the government and politics, as many people have a distinct understanding that reality TV is just as fake as any other TV show. When the lines cross, people’s opinions of the falsities that are blatantly in front of them will only continue to grow more negative.
Many people could see this as an opportunity to have a much more involved and informed electorate. Citizens may feel more passionate about politics if there is an entertainment aspect involved with the job; it could help someone want to play more of a part and care about politics. However, this does not account for the majority of the problems involving this subject. And one of the biggest problems is the greed that runs deep in our society.
The root of this wilting line between politics and reality TV is money bargaining. Money drives greed and power. When someone in government has power already, they have that platform to grasp onto the money that they want. The shady things that people do behind the scenes get leaked, and then it creates drama and problems that are completely unnecessary.
Politics and TV shows should never collide as one can be charismatic to gain a political following without being problematic or forgetting what their job is, what they do, and how they should be acting. This is a job, it is not a game and these people affect the image of the U.S. significantly.
