Unfair & Leaning

  WOW, it's amazing what our TV news has become.  It's no surprise that I prefer to get my news from my BBC and WBAL app on my phone instead of TV.  I prefer to read the news and not be bombarded with 24 hours of graphics, sounds and crap so I have time to process the information.  I can't handle all of the bells and whistles or left/right wing propaganda either.  As I forced myself to sit and watch two of these so-called news anchors, Bill O'Reilly and Wolf Blitzer, I actually can see the spin that they put on stories.  The sad thing is, the general public idolizes and follows these personalities like the disciples followed Jesus.

  Let's start with Wolf Blitzer.  He would be considered a Moderate that leans slightly to the conservative side, as well as the network his show is on, CNN.  His show is one of the most popular news programs in TV and regularly features a pretty good balance of conservative and liberal guests.  Wolf is more confident in himself and his beliefs, so he isn't rattled as easy as other hosts.  As with all news anchors, the line is blurred between personal beliefs and actual news.  I will, however, say one thing about Wolf Blitzer that I liked, he didn't interrupt his guest when the topic got uncomfortable. 

 
  Now there is Bill O'Reilly and guests on his show have but mere seconds to get their point across before he interrupts.  Not only will Bill rudely interrupt, but he will yell out personal attacks as well.  Intimidation is his game and it has been mastered.  The following that he has is tremendous and he knows it.  He doesn't care what the critics think about him because FOX News backs him 100% because he is a lunatic that spreads their message to a massive audience.  The anger he has only shows how insecure he really is with himself and his skewed beliefs.  

  I admit that I don't watch TV and being encouraged to actually analyze this garbage makes me appreciate that I was actually given a brain that allows me to make up my own mind.  It's amazing how much opinion is thrown spewed out from hosts and we, as a whole, believe it as truth.  Wake up people!!!

Find Out What Happens...

...when people stop being polite, and start getting real.

 As a teenager, I remember the buzz in the hallway over Kevin's racism rants on Real World Season 1, New York.   I laughed at Dominic's drunken tirades on Season 2, LA and cried at Pedro's battle with Aids in Season 3, San Francisco.  During my senior year, I was glued to Season 4 in London and the antics of punk rocker Neil and his tongue getting bitten off.  The following seasons were just as interesting but the innocence of reality TV went out the door quickly.  Season 5 in Miami had a supposed threesome in the shower, Boston had Syrus dating someone's mother, Seattle had David hooking up with a producer and then it hit the fan in Hawaii.  No one wore clothes on that season at all and the sex, drugs and alcohol were prevalent.  That year was 1999 and TV changed that year.  You could see how the people were being picked for this show and their blowups and failures were anticipated.  Get the most extreme ends of the spectrum and put them in a house together.  Seeing the resulting fireworks was entertainment but the public started to feel they could act the same way.
    Teens and children would watch these shows back then and think that the Real World was in fact "real" and normal.  A kid could pattern their life after one of these idiots, get behind their beliefs, and we would have two idiots running around our society.  How many people tried to imitate Puck.  His hygiene was poor at best, he would eat anything disgusting, dress like a bum, pick his nose and have utter disregard for anyone else's property.  That same description could be said for the guys from Jackass, Surreal Life or Dr. Drew's Celebrity Rehab.
     MTV tried to present the issues facing young adults and showcase them in a way to bring awareness.  Having people come from diverse backgrounds with different beliefs, could force them to deal with the issues plaguing society, like racism, sexism, sexual orientation, alcohol and drug abuse.  If they could figure out a solution on TV, maybe the rest of the world could learn from them.  In the beginning, this was definitely the intention, but a few seasons later, the other crap that drives viewership and advertising superseded the good intentions of the show.  Now the airwaves are littered with one spoiled brat after another, exploiting themselves and selling out their beliefs for money and fame.  America is not like these shows, but for some reason, we watch them.  I haven't watched the Real World since 2000 and don't watch much Reality TV now, with the exception of Survivorman, The First 48 and Hoarders.  Outside of that, I prefer to live my Reality Life!!