Savannah Lyons - 2nd entry

I had never known anything about "Big Brother" before today's class, just that it was a TV show that aired at some point on television. Didn't know what it was about, which channel it aired on, whether it was reality or fictitious television, and who it was aimed at. With that said, I wasn't terribly thrilled to read an article about it. However, I found myself surprisingly interested in what "Big Brother: Merging Reality and Fiction: An Application of the Narrative Paradigm" looked at, and what it reminded me of.

"Welcome to this year's annual Hunger Games!" I could hear Effie Trinket's, one of the supporting roles in the famous Hunger Games series, voice as I read part of Eaves and Savoie's criticism. In the article, the authors discuss how dangerous some reality shows have become, and pose the question: 'When will it happen? When will 'reality TV' become 'fatality TV'? This exact notion is employed in the The Hunger Games books and films where two young children are brought from twelve different districts to fight to the death. Their brutal fights and terminations are all televised, monitored through hidden cameras, intended to be entertainment for the people of the capital city.

Another possibly lesser known example of this concept in the media would be the graphic novel-turned-film, Battle Royale. Just like in The Hunger Games, the world watches on as people (also children) fight to the death until there is only one winner.

Each of these books/movies are personal favorites of mine and I think that a reason they are so enticing is because their themes and plots are tangible. They introduce the audience to a world that doesn't exist (thankfully), but technically, could. When broken down, they are simply people fighting people, with no science fiction or unrealistic elements. 

As I read about cancelled shows such as The Chamber and The Chair, I realized that there are people who will go to extremes with all sorts of different things. And after today's reading and discussion, I can't help but wonder: what's to come of reality TV in the future? I think it's safe to say there are people who would murder one another on television, and as twisted as it may be, I think it's safe to say there are people who would watch.