Sun, Sex and Suspicious Parents

So today I find out about yet another Reality TV show - Sun, Sex and Suspicious Parents which is a documentary and/or reality television series first aired in the United Kingdom in early 2011 on BBC Three.

The concept of the program is that teenagers go on their first holiday abroad (aka schoolies here down under) under the belief that they are getting away from their parents - however their parents are also sent to the holiday destination and secretly watch footage of their children on video screens, and also often spy in their hotel rooms and at nightclub locations.

The parents then reveal themselves on the last night of the holiday, to the dismay of the children, and tell them what they've seen and what they've learnt.

But while reality TV may seem like a harmless form of entertainment, the damage (perhaps in a subtle way) is powerful and I’m sure I’m not the first to say it deserves closer inspection on the long term affects on participants and viewers.

Reality TV, which is in the business of making us feel good rather than be good, actually contributes to the growing problems in our society by celebrating human weakness rather than human excellence.

It’s very possible that these shows can leave us feeling insecure, inadequate, less fulfilled, isolated and confused by virtue of the promotion of anti-social behaviour, excessive self-indulgence, self-entitlement, greed, compromised integrity, and obsession with winning at all costs.