Nice guy Michael "Cowboy" Ellis posed for this picture seven years ago while campaigning for a spot on "Big Brother: All Stars." But not every current "Big Brother" contestant is apparently playing nice. JAMES GIBBARD/Tulsa World
Reality TV has long been a misnomer to me.
I remember watching MTV's first season of "Real World" and LOVING it -- particularly Julie, Eric and Norman.
Since then, though, TV's offerings under the reality-TV label haven't appealed to me, and that definitely includes "Big Brother" -- even though quite a few friends of mine have been following it all 15 seasons.
Wait, I did express interest when "Cowboy" Ellis was on the show several years ago because he's a nice Tulsa guy. Otherwise, I don't get it -- or didn't until this week.
Apparently, homophobic, racist and sexist remarks made by certain housemates on "Big Brother" are garnering much attention. The jaded part of me realizes this must be making the higher-ups at CBS
very happy.
Anyway, the remarks are glazed over for broadcast, but people can subscribe to the uncensored -- and live -- online version, on which hard-core, 'round-the-clock watchers might hear housemates saying things that would get them fired if they were overheard in a typical office setting.
But they're not at work. Well, not real-world work, anyway. And they know they're being filmed, despite not currently having contact with the outside world.
So does it make it less of a reality-TV experience for viewers to sugarcoat the nastiness? I mean, we don't live in Candyland where people of all sexual orientations, socioeconomic levels and ethnic backgrounds skip along singing "Kumbaya."
In fact, in a really weird, uncomfortable way, showing how these people wield certain words toward particular people or groups of people is about as real as so-called reality TV gets.
That said, why not show it for the world to see? Obviously, the "see you next Thanksgiving" word would be censored; but why hide the words these people are saying? It's just better insight into what they're truly like, which serves two helpful purposes: (1) helping those watching the show know whom to cheer for; and (2) starting a conversation about it all -- not for the sake of starting a witch hunt for those saying nasty things; but simply continuing a dialogue about how people feel regarding race, gender and sexual orientation. In this specific interest, maybe "Big Brother" is holding a mirror up to American society today. So is it accurate?
OK, I'll shut up. What do you "Big Brother" fans think?
Peace, love and Kumbaya ... XOXO
Follow Jason Ashley Wright on Twitter.
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