Are you tired of reality TV stereotypes like the Desperate Bachelorette, the Angry Black Woman, and the Douchebag Dude? If you said yes, then here’s another question: Have you been watching Jenn Pozner’s new web series Reality Rehab with Dr. Jenn? If not, you’re missing out on some great media criticism (and some entertaining videos). Each episode of Reality Rehab interrogates a different reality television stereotype (good thing there are lots to choose from). Check out the trailer:
One of the great things about these webisodes is that Pozner not only critiques the stereotypes, she offers suggestions for how they might improve and reasons why they exist in the first place. Go Team Critical Thinking! She also provides page numbers from her book, Reality Bites Back, so that you can see which lines of dialogue were taken verbatim from popular reality shows. Yes, many of these outrageous conversations are reenacted WORD FOR WORD. (Of course, those of us who’ve spent time watching reality shows are hardly surprised by this, but then what does that say about reality television?) Here’s another installment:
There are currently seven episodes of Reality Rehab up on the Reality Bites Back YouTube channel, with one more to come. Take a peek! We can all make a little time in our days for some fun with media literacy, right?
1 Comment Has Been Posted
They wanna make me go to rehab but I say No, No, No...
Rit's replied on
Very nice initiative, thanks for sharing ! It's interesting how the show manage to reveal these stereotypes you can find in almost all Reality TV show. When you watch ANTM or Project Runway or shows like that, you can't help but respond to the drama that is created by the producers and directors, just because you naively suppose that it is really happening to actual real persons. But it's not ; the persons you see fighting or crying or bitching are, admittedely, human beings, but they're just turned into linear characters, big stereorypes. And you're actually glad to be able to identify them this way. That would be my only concern about "Reality Rehab" : I would've really liked if Dr. Jenn tried to deconstruct a bit more not only the artificial stereotypes, but the consumer/audience behavior. I'm perfectly aware of the media manipulation on reality TV shows, and still... I continue to watch and like ANTM and Project Runway, even though I could feel guilty about it sometimes. Why is it working ? Why is it a pleasure (even though a guilty one) in the first place ? Would be nice to discuss...
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