So, just a few minutes ago I was flipping through the channels and landed on MTV. I don't know if you have seen the show The Real World but it's pretty interesting on a few levels. First, just as in shows like American Idol people are hand picked for this show. Unlike the former however you don't see the ridiculous auditions. Anyway, what I'm getting at is that they purposely pick people so that the show is as culturally diverse as possible...definitely makes things really interesting as one sees how people have to deal with others from completely different backgrounds, and it's also interesting to see how each person grows from their experiences of living with others in a totally unfamiliar major city in the world. Secondly, for people like me in the ministry, it's interesting and really convicting/sad to see people searching for love and meaning in places where we often times don't find them. It's also disappointing to know that conglomerate corporations like MTV are selling a certain "product" to teens, leaving it up to them to judge how they should live based on what makes them feel good. Obviously I'm writing this as I am watching this episode, so my thoughts aren't as concise as I would like them to be but anyway, that is what's going through my mind at the moment. Your thoughts? What are your thoughts? Can you help me make this a more concise thought?
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8 comments:
Ohhh the Real World. Well, all I would say is that I purposely don't watch the show to avoid the stress it causes me in situations like you're in. It's sadly a part of the market. We put things up for sale or on the market when we've given up on articulating ourselves or morally justifying ourselves. MTV is selling something it does not want to take the responsibility to defend. So it makes it attractive instead. It's always the best way to get an audience. The majority of the human race has always initially gone for the first and attractive sales pitch. The more people you bring in, the more you can bet you've achieved some sort of sensual appeal and disengaged the a mass of people from things that really matter.
Thanks buddy. You're the only one who ever comments. And believe me, I am really stressed after seeing stuff like that. Subconciously (or something) probably why I haven't flipped to MTV in a long long time. Ridiculous stuff but thanks for articulating that how I wanted to.
There are a lot of things that I could say about this.
A resource that I would point you to is a documentary called merchants of cool. It was on PBS show called frontline. Search for it on Google and you will find it. Really interesting stuff.
I agree with what Brad and you are saying here. Working very closely with students I have come to realize that we as the church and the Church are not doing are jobs of giving them something to live for. It goes back to what claiborne says, "I laid down my life for Christ, but never got anything to pick up."
It is interesting as well to watch this show and know that there is a transvestite on the show. The common thought here is, whatever you are, or whoever you want to be is good with me. I think this represents the thought towards this lady/guy. I wonder what people are thinking when they see this stuff on the show as well as in real life (at school, mall, etc...) There is also a Mormon on the show. His point of going on the show is to show that Mormons are normal and that they can be different but still cool.
This show to me represents our culture. MTV is asking the question, where do we want to take it? Culture, youth, everything really. They run it.
There is another show called the pickup artist. They show guys who are "losers" because they cant get girls to sleep with them. One line said about a guy, "John, never touched boobs before." Really, that makes him a huge loser I guess. But my students here at the school watch that and wonder what is wrong with them, and why am I not doing that stuff. MTV is an interesting beast. Something that continues to push the boundaries in everything they can and then is not held accountable. They call it the real world, but is it really the real world. Like Brad said, they hand select who they want, put them in situations that they want and hope for something to happen. Is that the real world. Or is the real world going to school everyday and trying to just be a student? So much could be said about all of this. How it is messing with the youth, how it is destroying them. I don't want to go that far and just sit here and bash MTV, but I think it is interesting to talk about the role they play in culture.
The show, the Hills, tells girls that their life is about gossiping and partying. They never show these girls working, in school, or just sitting at home on a saturday. To me that is real life. How do you live with the everyday, mundane lifestyle.
I know I have a lot of crazy and scattered thoughts here. This is what came to my mind first.
thanks for commenting kyle. the show the hills does show these girls at work, but to my knowledge they are never actually doing work, just gossiping about something else going on.
i agree with you about the transgender person on this new season of the real world. i've actually watched that "merchants of cool" video a couple of times...definitely a very interesting video. i remember when i was younger (and actually watched The Real World) the first season that they had a gay guy on there. i remember that being a really big deal. And i think there are tons of students who see things on those shows and wonder "what is wrong with me? I haven't experimented with sex yet?" or whatever you'd like to fill in the blank with.
i have to say that the Real World does stir within me mixed emotions. my heart is saddened when i watch the show and see people buying into the lies of satan; however, at the same time reality tv, in any form, causes me to see a part of the world that i might not in other ways have been exposed. being exposed to these people, even through just observing their lives, helps me to understand what they are searching for specifically to fill that gap and how to convey the message of Love to them. this helps me in my ministry, both with teaching students that have or are experiencing things i havent experienced, and with theatre it helps me to portray characters that have values different than mine.
i feel that it is one reason not to watch something if it tempts you and causes you to stumble within your walk; at the same time i feel that not watching something because you see people making choices that cause your heart to ache is, to put it bluntly, a cop out. if we chose to ignore the pain in this world how can we minister to people that are consumed with that pain.
i believe there is a difference in glorifying that lifestyle, which MTV does and causes their targeted audience to do, and making yourself aware to specific struggles and having your heart broken for the people of this world.
as a person grounded in my faith it has become a window into lives of my peers and students. i do believe that the major issue it is causing is within students who feel that these people are somehow doing it right. my issue is when this consumes us as a culture, not as a tool to better ourselves but as a tool to spread the ultimate lies of the media and in turn satan.
like kyle said, this is also a mass jumble of thoughts.
okay, this is totally weird that i was just at a youth retreat this weekend and the speaker jay gamelin did a sermon about what the "real world" is. i have to agree with him on the things he said. he talked about how that show is not the real world. a bunch of kids screaming and praising jesus together is the real world. that's the stuff that really happens. and about the whole selling a product thing, he was saying how people who write "emo" music or whatever most likely don't feel that way with their millions of dollars and huge mansions and expensive cars. all they're doing is selling a product for money.
that's so ironic you two were thinking about "the real world" :)
Any body that wants to see the real deal needs to come by GCC on a Sunday morning. I have lived both sides of the fence. I choose the side with Jesus in it.
And I choose the real world where you can be who you are, be loved by your family and not have to try and be something you aren't.
Look around on a Sunday morning. You will see all races, all ages, all backgrounds. Doctors, Lawyers, Software Geeks (guilty), guys who fix potholes. And we are all the same in Gods eyes.
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