Alphabet Challenge Round 2

I just finished the letter R with Reality Bites Back by Jennifer Pozner. It's a feminist dissection of a decade's worth of reality TV and bless her heart, Pozner actually assumes the reader is smart. She doesn't talk down to you or pander. She treats you like an intelligent person who is capable of critical viewing and changing the rubbish that is out there.

The more I saw what modern television had to offer, the less I believed in it. Pozner spent 10 years watching the best and worst of reality (and surreality) television in order to write this book. I’m amazed she still has any faith in television as a medium let alone ‘unscripted’ television.

Pozner took her task very seriously and provides incredibly detailed dissections of several different television shows. She sees overarching patterns and cites specific incidents and backs up her findings with a great deal of extensive outside research. Her biggest repeat offenders? Joe Millionaire, The Bachelor, and America’s Next Top Model. I knew something was wrong with ANTM when a professor showed me the models posing as murder victims for a photo shoot and the judges fantastically creepy comments. Pozner goes much deeper than the surface to reveal how dysfunctional that show is at its core.

She focuses primarily on the depiciton of women and the message sent to and about us  but that isn’t the only issue. Pozner also takes on the way reality TV handles age, race, consumerism, embedded advertising. She showcases things most TV execs hide like the criminal past of many male reality contestants or frankenbiting or producers manipulating the cast to get certain reactions.

Pozner smartly isn’t one to just talk about the problem. She has her own chapter on how to watch critically including reality bingo and a drinking game which I may have to try out. She also has several other media critics and activists include their brief take on changing the media.

While I wouldn't call this an easy read, I wouldn't say it's difficult. It's dense and doesn't go by quickly but it is absolutely worth reading. I'm definitely busting out some cranberry juice and doing shots for my own 'Find the Fairytale' or 'Spot the Product Placement' drinking games. I think if actual booze was used, someone would have alcohol poisoning by the second commercial break.

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G - The Great Fables Crossover by Bill Willingham
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M - Mennonite in a Little Black Dress by Rhoda Janzen
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R - Reality Bites Back by Jennifer L. Pozner
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