I haven't posted for the last two days but that's because I decided to be a little lazy.
I've been sitting around today, without much to do and I've started watching really lame reality TV shows. I've always known that most of these are fairly idiotic and not worth the attention that they so often receive. These reality shows though, like Honey Boo-Boo, The Jersey Shore (and all of its spin-offs) and the Teen Mom series are perpetuating a lot of stereotypes and negative behavior. I'm not one of those fanatics that thinks TV shows are brainwashing America's youth but I do think that they aren't helping our society in any way. I've noticed each year that teachers are reporting more and more middle school students and high school freshman are causing major problems at school. I've heard more about violent fights, bullying, alcohol at school and I've seen much more "cyber-fighting" and drama on Facebook from adults and recent high school graduates. I think reality shows are part of the problem.
These shows can't force anyone to behave like the characters shown, but I do think they heavily influence the people actively watching them. I think part of the reason that so many preteens and young teens are getting in more and more trouble and becoming more and more sexualized is because of what adults are showing them is acceptable in the media. There are countless videos out there that show young girls fighting and yelling at each other in a startlingly similar way to what is depicted on reality TV.
Part of the problem is the way parents have raised their children but I still think it links back to what society is showing as acceptable behavior. I'd like to see more meaningful shows on the air. I don't think we need a show to give us a moral compass but we need less stupid reality shows and better parenting to start fixing these incredibly immature teenagers. They are growing up in a way that will render them ignorant and they will never have the maturity to succeed in the adult world.
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