Real vs. Reality TV

OK, so I have mentioned here and there my random opinions on reality TV without doing a deep dive on the subject. It struck me today (the 4th of July) that this would be an apt time to revisit the subject. The reason being today, like on New Years Eve and to a lesser extent Thanksgiving Day Parades, there is a smattering of "real TV" to be found throughout the evening. Over on PBS there is the annual Boston Pops concert, there is Capitol 4th from DC and of course the granddaddy of them all - Macy's 4th in the New York City Harbor. All three have large fireworks displays in common. I should disclaim here that I am not only a native NYer, but a native of Suffolk County Long Island and therefore was raised on Grucci fireworks and believe they are second to none. Having said that, at no point in my life have I thought - ooooh I can't wait to watch fireworks on TV! For me the purpose of things like fireworks, parades, even live concert performances is to be there in the moment and experience it with all five senses, not merely our eyes and ears. Granted HDTV makes the experience more bright, but for me some things are meant to be experienced in commune with your neighbor or the stranger you call your neighbor for the duration of any given event. Yet every year these things get broadcast when if experienced live there is truly no comparison.

For those of you thinking sports should fall into this category, I will simply say this - sports is always better live, period. But sports has an undetermined outcome which makes it innately compelling whether being viewed from a seat in the arena/stadium or on your living room couch. The same can not be said for a fireworks display over the East River or a parade down Broadway.

My point in bringing this up is because I wonder sometimes about what it is we seek to experience. Reality TV gets a bad shake because of the fringe shows that exploit people deliberately (a la the recent despicable Baby Borrowers). But then there are shows that's purpose is to display talent and merely entertain. My summer favorite - So You Think You Can Dance would fit into this category. Shows like the latter I feel are the grandchildren of the old variety shows - certainly not Ed Sullivan, but without a doubt a look back to that vein of television. Reality TV when done in that spirit provides an escape for the viewer - pleasure and entertainment with no ulterior motive. How is it so different from people who feel the need to gather around a 32 inch television set to watch fireworks they are no where near?

I don't know that there is any significance to this post other than an observation that in some form or another we have been watching a form of "real TV" practically since its inception. The 'ick' factor that has embodied the term "reality TV" I suspect has more to do with the exploitation of both the willing participants and the voyeuristic tendencies of the television viewers. I mean really is there any other explanation for the continuation of a show like "the Bachelor and Bachelorette"?