Reality vs. Reality TV

I have a big list of things I probably should be ashamed of, one of them being my love for Scott Disick. For those who are unaware and probably better, more well rounded people than I am, he's Kourtney Kardashian's baby daddy, frequent pot-stirrer, and questionable alcoholic on Keeping Up With The Kardashians. He's also a pretty terrible person. He's almost cartoonishly arrogant and short tempered, always strutting on screen in ridiculous, flamboyant outfits and causing problems. He's the source of a lot of the conflict on the show, which is mainly where the love comes from. I'm sure if I actually had to interact with him, or anyone on the show if I'm being honest, I'd feel very different about it. But then I'm sure the Scott we see on tv has very little in common with Real Scott. But that's the thing. TV Scott isn't a real person. He's a character and I love/hate him just like I love/hate all of the ridiculous villains on the scripted shows I watch. In my mind, there's not really a difference to me as a viewer. Reality TV, it turns out, isn't very real at all. There's a lot that's controlled and directed in order to create interesting plots and story lines. I don't think any modern viewer would deny that, but it's easy to forget how much of what we're watching is manufactured when it's presented as reality. This means that we still have to take into consideration the motives of the people and corporations behind the show as if it were completely fictional. It also means we're allowed to love Scott Disick and still sleep okay at night.