Reality TV
After judging a friend for her love of the reality show, “The Real Housewives of New York City,” while letting her episodes of “In Treatment” pile up on her DVR (come on, it’s HBO,) I decided to check out the last three episodes. It only took a few minutes to see the appeal. One can watch a show like this and feel better about themselves as people, parents, even as dog owners. What makes this ethnography so engaging is that one gets to watch other people and all their foibles. On the topic of reality TV, tonight we have another democratic debate. (Old number 21 should crown the true victor of the democratic party. Or not.) Like “Real Housewives,” watch the debate for how the candidates conduct themselves. During the last debate, I found that while Obama is considered a great orator, he had trouble creating a constant flow of ideas. The answers seemed to be more staccato than I expected. But, no matter what happened, he was unflappable. On the other hand, Clinton’s passion can overwhelm her at times. She reminds me of Ramona from “Real Housewives.” No matter the price of victory, even if it means losing the war, Hillary seems hell bent on getting the democratic top spot. Tonight’s debate should be revealing not for the policy issues but for how the candidates behave. I only hope that by the end I don’t feel better about myself, as a person, parent, or dog owner.
