When I was a child we went to the Oregon State Fair. It was a dazzling array of rides, games, food and agricultural exhibits. What it no longer had, as my mother told me, was a “freak show,” more properly called a side show. She told me that people used to pay money to see people with medical conditions such as a very large woman called a “fat lady,” and a very short person called a “midget.” She and I agreed that we lived in kinder times in the 1950’s and that people would be ashamed now to pay money to stare at fellow humans.
But “reality TV” has arrived in full force to provide countless opportunities to gawk without the possibility of shame. One channel in the United States hosts a variety of such programming. My Giant Life, 1000 Lb. Sisters, My 600 Pound Life, Little People Big World, The Little Couple and Abby &Brittany(two headed conjoined twins.) There clearly continues to be a large audience ready to stare at the same giants, “midgets,” “fat ladies,” and other rare conditions as there was in earlier times.
Is it still a source of shame for the television viewer? I don’t know. I have never watched one second of any of those shows myself. LOL
Saved By Words 
Reality TV leaves me cold. Life’s too short for reality TV.
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No kidding.
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There seems to be little reality in Reality TV. If it is real then I obviously do not live in the real world!
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I have no idea why such a scripted show is ever called “real.” I had a relative who was an actor paid to go on one of those “tell all” shows. All scripted.
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I know what you mean. I feel bad to see people being exploited and yet there seems to be a willingness on both sides, those being viewed and viewers to watch them! I guess human nature hasn’t really changed much.
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Not at all, I think.
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This is shameful. I think it is worse on television, because that tells millions of people it’s okay to stare at people who are different. Who would want to watch this on TV?
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Apparently many many people. There seem to be web sites for fans which I discovered when I wrote this post.
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So sad! I’d like to board all those people on a bus and take them to the library.
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I love the idea.
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😀
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We don’t watch tv anymore. I get the news online.
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That is wise. You aren’t missing anything.
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I don’t watch those shows either because they are about as far from reality as possible. I still remember going to one of those freak carnival shows. They were Siamese Twins. Even though I was pretty young at the time, it made me terribly uncomfortable. Because my mom had taught us it’s not polite to stare at others, it felt wrong to do that. It was the one, and only time I went to anything like that.
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It was a real contradiction wasn’t it–don’t stare and “look at them.”
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I dislike most reality shows and especially the type you have identified. I assume though, that the people featured have chosen to appear, drawn by money and their moment of fame no doubt. And the prospect of becoming a ‘celebrity’.
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That is pretty sad though I imagine you are correct.
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The freak show owners of old used many fakes. They would be so envious of the modern ‘real’ freaks who seem very happy to have their disabilities or problems paraded on TV shows. We have a channel that seems to be ful of such distasteful shows, Channel 5. I don’t watch them, unless they are real ‘serious’ documentaries with some purpose or message.
Best wishes, Pete.
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I didn’t realize that the old used fakes. We are home to P.T. Barnum of the Tom Thumb exhibit.
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Human nature doesn’t change, does it…
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