The Real World?

Walking down the magazine aisle in a supermarket, one will easily find at least thirty different entertainment magazines pondering over how much weight Lindsey Lohan has lost, or over Britney Spear’s newest breakdown. On TV there are specialized channels that report celebrity news or “Entertainment” as they are called. However, it is quite interesting to note that lately the entertainment media has been incorporating the war in Iraq into its’ shows, tabloids, and films. One example that stands out to me the most is the MTV reality show “The Real World: Austin” where one cast member, Rachel, is a nurse who served in Iraq for a year. Since the cast members are chosen to represent the problems facing young Americans, it was said that she was chosen to represent the soldier fighting in Iraq. During the season Rachel talked about her experience in Iraq several times, and what horrified me the most is that “The Real World” is the only source of information pertaining to the war in Iraq for many people. It is quite known that many young Americans are not keeping up with the news, but instead tuning in to watch the latest “Daily Ten” special on the Entertainment Channel or “The Real World.” Therefore, I think that networks such as MTV, who are definitely aware of this problem, are trying to incorporate aspects of the war into their shows to provide their viewers with at least some awareness. For many young Americans, if they do not see this issue in MTV shows, then they are simply not going to be aware of it. Therefore, I think this is a desperate attempt by the media to try and enlighten people about the war, since these types of shows are unfortunately, the only source of world knowledge for many people.

While I think it is excellent that these frivolous shows are becoming a little more rounded, in terms of current world events, it makes me really mad that such events about the war need to be “sugar coated” and made more entertaining in order for people to gain interest in them. In reality the war is not exciting or interesting, which is why I think the public owes it to the soldiers, to at least keep up with the progression of the war through a reliable news source. Learning about the war from shows like “The Real World” sends a message of ignorance because these people are so busy with their lives that they can not tune into the news at least once a week to hear about the war in fear of missing the newest “Real World” episode. Therefore, I think it is great that the entertainment media is focusing on this issue, but it is horrible that this problem exists in the first place.

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