I have a confession to make. Whenever I feel down, I usually do one or more of the following: 1. Eat junk food. 2. Sing along to 90s pop hits. 3. Turn on MTV. The first two of my vices are relatively normal, but allow me to explain the third. I watch MTV most of the time for a pick-me-up, and I would bet that a lot of other people do too.
No offense to MTV. I tip my hat to "Punk’d," which is pure genius. I have never felt more joy than watching Justin Timberlake cry on the side of the road as he thought someone drove off with his moving truck and he lost everything he owned. Putting that aside, let’s face it: MTV isn’t exactly known for its entertainment value, and the channel doesn’t really focus on providing its audience with the best music anymore. Back in the day, you could turn on MTV and just watch music videos whereas now they focus on their reality TV franchise. They still play episodes of "Jersey Shore" from two years ago, and the other shows encompass its core values: sex, sexual tension, sexual appeal, alcohol and bad decisions.
Why does this network make you feel better about yourself? Let’s explore a few of MTV’s most-aired programs.
First we have "16 and Pregnant," which is a reality show that takes the audience into the
life of a 16-year-old girl who is preparing for her baby. During the show
you watch as the young mother tries to finish school, save enough money and
make other preparations before the baby comes. Sometimes the father is in the
picture, and sometimes he isn’t. Then the cameras take you into the delivery room
where you see the painful labor and if you are lucky enough, also see the
father drunkenly stagger into the hospital room, hours late for the birth. Once
the young parents take the baby home, you then have the pleasure of
experiencing the sleep deprivation, money problems and custody issues the
young couple faces.
I’m assuming MTV's intention is for teens to see this show, and then to be more careful about premarital sex. However, it is safe to say
that people don’t watch "16 and Pregnant"
and hope to have that life one day. Once you see someone push out a seven-pound
baby, your problems don’t really seem important anymore.
Next we have
"Friendzone," which is like watching a car crash in slow motion. The show
focuses on a person who secretly has a crush on his or her best friend, and MTV
documents the moment they finally tell
their friend about their feelings.
Have you ever seen something that is so bad,
but you couldn’t look away? Well, that's how it is watching "Friendzone." You are basically waiting
for their heart to get ripped out and their friendship to end in front of thousands of people. Don’t get me
wrong — there are a few lucky ones who have their feelings reciprocated, but most
leave the show with broken hearts and regrets. Real cheerful stuff.
And last but not least, we have "Jersey Shore." Every time I watch "Jersey Shore," I am thankful for the following: that since there is a reasonable distance between me and The Situation, I don’t have to worry about getting hit by a fist pump; I’ve never ran into a wall and knocked myself out; I’ve never hit a police car; I don’t have an obsession with pickles; not all of my sentences end with "yeah," and to my knowledge no one refers to me as a "meatball."
So basically I think of MTV as more of a guilty
pleasure like Cheetos and singing along to Savage Garden than as a means of
high quality entertainment. Human beings relate to other human beings, which is
probably why MTV’s reality shows receive a great audience response. But even
then, I just turn to MTV when I need a pick-me-up.
— sarizzi@indiana.edu
