Does reality TV play a role in the dumbing down of American culture?
Reality television gets a lot of criticism for being a dumbed-down medium or a mindless form of entertainment, and I would say that just like anything else, there is good, thoughtful reality television, and then there’s dumb, mindless, stupid reality television, just like there’s good, thoughtful dramatic television and dumb, stupid dramatic television. It runs the gamut. It’s the same spread, I believe, as regular scripted entertainment. There are good movies and dumb movies. There’s no monopoly on mindless entertainment for any of these genres, and people who make movies don’t deserve to stand on a pedestal when they make dumb movies. There are some of us in reality television striving to make good, thoughtful, entertaining, interesting, poignant programs – all the wonderful words that you can use for great entertainment. I think some reality television is succeeding. I don’t believe it deserves to bear the mantle of the dumbing down of society. Reality television is a reflection of
