the pretentious big brother

When accepted at an audition for a singing competition on tv, my friend was asked by the producers/organizers (whatever they are called) of the show to act like she was so emotional about it. I guess they wanted to see her cry for joy when she was about to hug her mom. But she only did less acting. She didn't want to give in to the drama the show wanted to create.

Which brings me to the concept of "sensationalization." This very act of sensationalizing scenes on tv arouses strong interests from the viewers, which would then bring hits to a particular tv show. Researchers of a show would do so much to squeeze extraordinary information about a particular talent. And for the benefit of the show, this information would be presented in a grandiose, exciting, and sometimes exaggerated, manner.

On one episode of the show, contestants of the said singing competition were asked to share their most dramatic experience. My friend didn't give the show much information about her, so as to give not the show the opportunity to play about the details of her life.

The instance of sensationalization my friend experienced is not an isolated one. Look at how details of actors' life are exaggerated to provide us a dramatic experience of the shows we're watching. Observe how particular details in news are omitted, and how particular details in the covered news are given much attention. If we would not properly examine the shows we're watching, we would receive the stories as how the tv shows want them be presented - very dramatic. Perfect example of which is the pretentious "big brother" show.

Remember Jon convincing his son, Kevin to undergo circumcision? He was using the argument on "sacrificing for a cause," just like how Alex was able to purportedly provide a hundred kids with free circumcision. If you have a subscription to the 24/7 big brother show, observe the punky and funny hairstyles the boy housemates have. The hairstyles are/were the purported sacrifices the boy housemates had in order to give another hundred kids with free circumcision. How compassionate... not.

Undergo circumcision to have a hundred kids undergo circumcision for free? I thought Alex wanted to be "tuli" in order not to be "supot." So it is clearly not a sacrifice; it is FOR HIM, not for a hundred kids. Have a new hairstyle in order to provide a hundred kids with free circumcision? Say I want my treated hair be completely cut in order to provide a hundred kids with free circumcision. Say the next day, I had it cut. Would I be able to provide the kids with free circumciison? No. Because I'm not in big brother house.

It is clear then that the free circumcision was the idea of the show, not of the housemates. If it is truly a sacrifice on the part of the housemates, then the idea MUST come from them. But the case was that the show coerced the housemates to relinquish, but not necessarily sacrifice, their old hairstyles. It is not even the case that the show intended to teach housemates to do sacrifices. I doubt if all of them would truly sacrifice their hairstyles were they not in the house. The show purportedly wanted to provide an analogy that would show the importance of making sacrifices. But it does so in a very misleading manner. Funny hairstyle for an act of compassion? Nah, clearly a false dillema (funny hairstyle and free "tuli" or nice hairstyle and no free "tuli" at all). Very fallacious and very pretentious.

What is the real story in the "teleserye ng totoong buhay?" Would it really be the case that "makikilala mo na ang kabataang pinoy" when the chosen housemates do not properly represent the Filipino youth but are merely poster boys and poster girls? Does the big brother show truly intend to show the importance of sacrifice or does it instead want to show the importance of watching the show by showing the importance of sacrifice? Was the intention of creating the show to provide moral lessons to the youth or merely to gain hits?

I can't wait to watch tomorrow's "uber" and big brother show on primetime. I can't wait to spot the wrong and worry about the misleading lessons the viewers might receive.