THE ART OF SCRIPTING REALITY

I was watching an episode of Hardcore Pawn and I wondered if reality is so overly scripted that actual reality can't be separated. The episode I watched was about an employee stealing from the store. What I found interesting was how everything was set up in the previous episode and resolved in the following installment. Don't get me wrong, I worked on reality television series and I know that 99% of what happens is scripted.

What made me question this particular set of episodes is the fact that theft does occur in retail environments and I should know because I was a retail manager for years. The thing I find interesting is that even with all my instincts very clear I could not tell if the show was working the audience or if it was actually real in terms of the situation. I guess it's safe to say that certain writers have really learned how to get a sector of the audience confused enough to question their own instinct.

I like shows like Hardcore Pawn because they use real environments and give viewers a glimpse into what certain environments are like. I still wonder if reality has gotten to the point where you can't tell the difference anymore simply because even when an event that's real occurs it's overacted to blend in. Scripting reality is a truly an art that's hard to master given the audience as well as the nature of the series.

Shows like My Big Redneck Wedding and TLC'S Truth Be Told were prime examples of the story being magnified and manipulated to tell a story far removed from the real one. Reality television is simply a way to create content without spending the money required to make something good. While most audiences would rather watch a good CSI or a good 30 Rock networks want to give us something that can make the same advertising dollars without spending five to ten million per weekly episode.

Shows like Here Comes Honey Boo Boo give audiences that train wreck feeling that makes them want to watch. The real story in the end is the trumped up ideas of the "Story Producer" whose job it is to not only create interest but also help cut together something that when seen by audiences will leave them hungry for more.

Let's just say that nothing's as real as it seems and a scripted story drives us to look at our peers on television.

THE FALSE NATURE OF REALITY

I am sure you are looking for a significant picture of some sort but frankly this entry does not call for it. I was also feeling in an odd mood so I went to the fishbowl. In the kind of world we are living in we love to emphasize the concept of reality but I wonder if any of us really know what it is.

Reality defined correctly is somehting that did, or will more than likely take place at some point in some specific way. We cannot dictate reality, change it once it has happened and on top of that we cannot mask it to reveal what we wish. So then  why does reality have a false nature? Reality is one of those things that we love to try to mask because sometimes it's too fucking complicated.

I am a person that has suffered from that very syndrome of just wondering how I can make a situation from what it is to what I wish. I have realized that wanting things acertain way and actually having them that way are two wholly different things. In truth the world is too complicated for everything to align correctly.There are times when we "make it happen" but the truth of the matter is that those are few and far in between.

When we make those choices that we think are the right ones it turns out that we really are just doing one more thing that we are not truly sure of. It does not matter what we think or how strongly we feel because the truth and reality of one situation do not  really ever match the actual truth and reality we are faced with.

DON'T PREACH WITH ONE HAND AND STEAL WITH THE OTHER

I have never considered myself a follower or a member of anyone's flock because I am an individual. I believe spirituality is an independent choice. What we as people chose to believe in is our right and our own very personal choice. What I have a major problem with is serious hypocrisy.

Everyone loves to believe in miracles and that's cool I respect that but there is something to be said for being so blind to reality that the horizon is nothing but pretty flowers with little pots of goody gold at the end of the rainbow. The fact is we always seem to follow one charismatic figure and drink a form of Kool Aid that takes away our ability to understand when hypocrisy and lies are afoot. Jim Jones was very charismatic and we all know the outcome there. So you may question me and ask where I see the hypocrisy. Let me answer your question and put your soul at ease.

I have read the bible enough times to know that Jesus did not have a Cadillac, a motorcycle, or an airplane. The fact is that according to the bible Jesus did not really have shoes while going from place to place. I am not actually trying to praise Jesus or thump bibles or beliefs like so many people try to do through mediums. I am simply stating that I don't understand why these charismatic electronic pastors seem to have a bigger cash position and better bottom line than even the wealthiest Americans. There is this vow of poverty that seems to be as well observed as obscure 1800's unamended rules.

The fact is that while Benny Hinn traveled first class in the Concord people starved and died waiting for their miracle. While Kenneth Copeland collects planes in his estate people hope that his words will materialize and lose it all providing for his needs. While Jim Bakker and his late wife Tammy Faye gave their dogs shelter that included central AC units people gave the tithe while at times going to bed without power, or some necessary utility. So they preach the word in 10,000 suits and million dollar homes while Gebus oh wait I mean Jesus wore tattered clothing and no shoes. Believe what you chose because you can and you have the right. Understand that what you do believe is not always exactly what you are told and the reality versus the actuality are completely separate hemispheres altogether.

PEACE BE WITH YOU!!!!!