OPINIONS
pendulum
PAGE 12//WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 10. 2010
pinions
Obsessed: Reality TV Infatuation
Pop culture benefits from embracing unfounded
enioyment of shameless entertainment
want (think back
Liv Dubendorf
Columnist
Every time I turn
on the TV, I see some
advertisement for
the “newest and most
compelhng reality show
ever created," or so
the producers claim.
On almost every major
network, you can find
a plethora of reality TV
shows for each and every
interest you may have.
But you have to wonder
why and how these shows
are getting enough viewers,
to keep the networks
paying to produce them.
Are major networks creating a product and telling
the public they should like it? Or are they just
appealing to a pre-existing fascination that our
culture has?
1 spent fall semester in Heidelberg, Germany,
far from the U.S. culture 1 know and love. Despite
the distance, 1 was never too far from the reaches
of societal influences that bleed past geographical
boundaries. MTV Europe provided me with my
weekly dose of American culture in the form of
"Jersey Shore” via the Internet.
I’m addicted to “Jersey Shore.” The contagiously
spectacular personalities of Jenni “JWoww, Mike
“The Situation," “Snooki,” DJ Pauly D, Ronnie, Samm
“Sweetheart” and Vinny - not so much Angelina
- can keep me fascinated for even the longest ot
marathons.
But I still found myself wondering why I like
“Jersey Shore" and why many of my peers find it as
fantastic as 1 do. . . ,
Maybe some people wish they could rock the
“poof” like Snooki. Maybe a few people wish they
lived life like “The Situation” — a 27-year-old _
talentless, gym-obsessed Italian-American Guido
without goals that reach beyond dry-cleaning his
wardrobe for the weekend.
Though it is markedly unlikely that viewers
look to these eccentric and unreliable human
beings as role models, it’s undeniable that we find
them interesting enough to continue watching.
Who doesn’t want to watch people get in fights?
It is remarkably similar to high school, when
everyone would gather to watch two people claw at
each other. The only difference is that we can sit
down in the comfort of our own homes and watch
the hilarity unfold.
As a person with what I consider to be good
morals and a normal social upbringing, I can’t
just smack someone when they don’t do what I
want (think back to “JWoww” and “The Situation”
in Atlantic City). If 1 did that. I’m pretty convinced
I'd be put into anger management.
Reality TV has turned into a pop culture goldmine.
Beginning with “The Real World," it has morphed into
a stratosphere that is currently dominated by the
seven human wonders starring on the “Jersey Shore."
MTV isn’t teaching us what to love. The network
is merely tapping into something that Americans
already love; drama.
To offset the fast-paced, stressful lives of
Americans, MTV provides a welcome respite from
what is socially acceptable, and receives a significant
profit.
On a basic level, the people we watch on reality
TV aren’t completely real. The situations are
aggravated, sometimes even constructed by the
producers who tell characters what to say, put
people in awkward situations and edit footage to
misconstrue a sequence of events. We just get to
come along for the ride.
Will reality TV ever be worthwhile? Probably not.
Do I care about how worthwhile it is? Absolutely
not. I will continue to shamelessly watch reality
television. The simple and condensed drama of
these shows is a huge comedic release to a taxing
daily routine. If you can get past the characters’
appalling behavior, I suggest you watch too.
Proposed town center necessary for Elon development
Jack Dodson
Columnist
Elon
University is
frequently
commended
on its
academic and
student life
improvements.
It has made
significant
strides to
create a
welcoming,
exciting
atmosphere
throughout
the past decade. But one issue
plagues the school in its efforts — a
lackluster surrounding area that
offers few opportunities in the way
of social attractions for potential
students.
With the dawn of the new
millennium, Elon made the shift in
status from college to university.
Since then, its graduate programs
have become distinguished in the
world of academia, earning nods
ILLUSTRATING THE ISSUES:
from the Princeton Review and the
Institute of International Education.
The recent transformation has
been years in the making: the
university has worked incredibly
hard to portray dedication to the
student body with each improvement
made in student initiatives. Study
abroad programs encourage global
mindfulness and promote student
engagement, while academic
rankings and rigor continue to
propel Elon to new heights on
the center stage in the national
community.
The key to long-term change
starts on a local level, and Elon
University seems to acknowledge
that fact. The Town of Elon hopes to
follow the University's recent path
toward success.
Around the same time Elon
College officially became Elon
University, the Town of Elon College
became the Town of Elon. In the
wake of Elon University’s newest
strategic plan came the hope for a
developed downtown Elon.
The plans for the town center
were initially discussed in
November 2009, just before the Elon
Commitment was passed by the
Board of Trustees.
Without a town center, the Town
of Elon has little to offer, especially
to a college student.
An attractive local atmosphere
promotes community-student
integration. Elon University runs the
risk of losing students who could
be valuable. Students who may have
otherwise come to Elon could end up
at schools like University of North
Carolina at Chapel Hill, University of
North Carolina at Greensboro, Wake
Forest University or North Carolina
State University, simply because of
appealing activities offered in the
area.
The town also loses an
opportunity for developing local
businesses — perhaps ones within
walking distance.
A plan for a town center is
imperative, to not only the student
body and the university, but also
the town itself. Economically
speaking, the strategic placement
of the university would almost
guarantee that local businesses will
thrive, while ensuring that students
are more actively engaged in the
community surrounding the school.
According to CollegeProwler.com,
the city of Burlington, the closest
off-campus destination, is lacking
interesting venues as well.
“If you’re looking for a city," the
report said, “with buildings taller
than three stories, buses, metros
and people always busy going
somewhere, Burlington is not the
best area.”
Burlington is currently working
on developing its downtown
through the Burlington Downtown
Corporation, a nonprofit that works
to revitalize the city center.
The university’s strategic plan
offers the perfect catalyst for the
Town of Elon’s plans. With the school's
plans to break ground on campus, the
town should surely follow.
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