Give Me What's "Real"

I'll be honest, because why wouldn't I be? I'm addicted to drama. I realized this throughout high school, but I would never admit to myself. I loved watching people fight and bicker when things such as "ex's" and "who did what's" arose around the campus. Nothing pleased me more than sitting and watching the comments fly including name calling, the snarky looks that high school students perfect during their four years, and the best fighting style of them all, passive-aggressive behavior. It wasn't until something called reality TV came into my life that I realized this addiction of mine.

I'll never forget that first episode of Survivor. I was hooked. Seeing the people talk about fighting strategies and ways to manipulate and control other teammates excited me to no end. It was like watching high school happen from the comfort of my own home with no one ever telling me to butt out. After I consumed a season of that show, I quickly went on to other shows I knew about, but never thought could keep me so captivated. The only reason I knew of as to why I was so hooked on these "real" life shows was that I could sit and watch people doing things I could only dream of doing and judge them without mercy. But from this past week in class, other possible explanations came into my mind. 

Do I like the stereotypes the shows reinforce? I think I might. I think it’s nice to have a sense of consistency in a world where you’re never quite sure what you’re getting. And with these shows, I don’t want to deal with real life, I want to see “real” life being portrayed. In a sense I think I might love the drama on TV because I want to see things blown out of proportion and I want to see it without having to be directly involved. If I were ever put into a dramatic situation, I know I wouldn’t handle it well. In fact I’d crumble. But getting to comfortably watch the fur fly makes me feel invincible against all the conflict happening on the screen. In a sense I’m being lied to, yet I’m perfectly ok with it. As long as I can watch a punch get thrown or hear some vindictive language get tossed around, I’m good. Drama? Bring. It. On.