Focus: Reality television

The recent controversy about racism on the show Celebrity Big Brother triggered off reaction across the world and also caught the attention of British parliamentarians.

It may have helped the show get better ratings, but did the display of poor taste give viewers a new perspective on this kind of entertainment? Has reality television picked up or has it lost in popularity ratings? Our readers debate the issue. If you would like to contribute to the discussion, write to readers@gulfnews.com

Reality television is gaining momentum among viewers.

Yes, reality television is popular. It can also provide information and knowledge. My friends in college love watching these shows, many even want to participate to get famous. I watch it sometimes. I like the show Big Brother, I am interested in the people and how they live, the conversations they have. I do not think these programmes can labelled as "bad".
- Allen Joji
Sharjah

Well, I don't watch television much but when I do, I see these shows. My friends are generally interested in these, especially competition shows. I think young adults tend to watch these because people in these shows belong to the same age group. Still, I do not encourage these programmes. I think it is against our Arab traditions, culture and Islam.
- Abdullah Julfar
Dubai

I think these shows are watched more in the West. And if there are people here interested in them, they download them from the internet. These shows are not as popular in the Arab world as compared to the West because they've had these shows for some time now. I don't watch them. I just don't like watching people waking up and going about their daily life.
- Louai Khairi
Sharjah

I am against these shows. I think any Arab and Muslim who respects his traditions and has a religious conscience would not watch these programmes. They simply destroy our beliefs. I think these shows should be stopped. We need programmes that reflect our Arab identity and traditions. Parents' role is very vital because they are the ones that children will learn from.
- Zayed Al Abdouli
Dubai

Most of these shows are in extreme bad taste.

Of course, I think these shows are in extreme bad taste. They just invade people's privacy. I think people are interested in these shows because we are always curious — we want to know who fell in love with whom, or who fought with whom. I think these shows have a better market in Europe because here our traditions don't allow that. It's just a waste of time and has a negative impact on our children.
- Abdullah Subra
Lebanon

Yes, these are in bad taste. Some shows like the talent shows are okay but not shows like Big Brother or Bigg Boss — the Indian version of Big Brother. These shows have no entertainment value, rather they provoke people and encourage poor attitude. Also, the racism that was seen on this show should not be encouraged.
- Renu Saxena
Abu Dhabi

First, it was the "dumbing down" of the US via talk show hosts who exploited the heartbreak of others; next it was inane sitcoms. Now, we have reality television that undermines the moral fabric of society and fuels the engines of degenerative behaviour. Sex, obscenity, racism and violence are being portrayed as justifiable with the real sole purpose of increasing network ratings and greed.
- B. Cummings
Dubai

Well, sometimes. I do not watch these shows much, but I think they are a waste of time. The channels that broadcast these shows should be careful because children and teenagers tend to watch it a lot. I think they are interested in the people in these shows. They see them as stars and tend to imitate them.
- Tamara Menon
Abu Dhabi

Racism was used by Celebrity Big Brother to get higher ratings.

Sure because whether they are happy or angry, people still watched the show, which helped in getting it high ratings. I mean for me, I don't watch these shows, but it made me curious. You'd want to watch and see what is happening. I think that the racist comments should not have circulated in the media. It should have been ignored.
- Feyza Culcu
Dubai

Yes, it could have helped them get better ratings. But personally, I don't like such shows. I would rather watch adventure-based reality shows like Survivor. Shows like Big Brother are of no interest to me because I don't care about people's problems. Most of these shows, according to me, are just a waste of time.
- Larry Bosley
Dubai

Yes, am sure it did. Also, I think because it reflects one's expressions and feelings. When people are on camera, your expressions are monitored and these people were aware of that, they should have been careful about their feelings and the way they were expressed. The kind of people that come on these shows are also important. Beauty isn't skin deep.
- Vasanthi Krishnan
Abu Dhabi

I can't judge whether it helped them get higher ratings, but they did use it. It is likely that this issue may have influenced the show. This is similar to the boxing/wrestling competitions where everything is fixed. Racism is bad. It is very impolite. It should not exist anymore, the world has developed and so have we.
- Unnikrishnan M.
Abu Dhabi

It should be more tightly controlled.

Of course, there needs to be certain control and censorship on these programmes, because there are so many people who get affected by what they see. I do not watch these shows. I don't know why people watch these shows, maybe because they are curious. I think it is important that in these shows everything should be within a limit. These are all a waste of time.
- Hasna Talal
Abu Dhabi

Yes, definitely we need control because we have little children having access to these shows. Also teenagers who watch reality television sometimes like the people they see and start imitating them. Well, these shows are against our traditions. This is what I call media invasion. For parents, I think their role is to only advise their children. They cannot just prevent them from watching these shows.
- Darwish Ahmad
Abu Dhabi

Of course, because sometimes people on these shows go beyond a certain limit whether it is because of the words they use or the way it is shown. It may not be suitable for families to watch. Maybe one way to control these shows is to air them at certain times. I do not really watch reality programmes. I have seen some reality shows made back home, but I don't watch them that often.
- Rossano Mangano
Italy

I think there is an interest in these shows because they are different and new to the Arab world. I think there is a need for control, especially since young adults and teenagers watch them a lot. You don't want them to be influenced by the ideas and messages the shows convey.
- Mohammad Gazi
Saudi Arabia