If there's one thing we've learned in recent years about the American collective unconscious is that people here are not much for fiction. What's more, they can't stand fiction if there are any holes in the plot, or if what's going on seems inplausible. On TV, sitcoms are being replaced by dramas, and what we used to call "game shows" are increasingly being labeled as "reality tv", as if either of these formats aren't extensively controlled by the fat Jewish guys with infinity pools that look out over the Malibu shore, but somehow are never mentioned on E!. Maybe I should eat more and consider California job offers.
The inner workings of reality are so carefully veiled because suspension of disbelief is absolutely essential to their success. No one wants to know about the conference room discussions that determine when there'll be a "challenge", and whether that challenge should subtly take advantage of one team's weaknesses. In some ways, the dramas are more "real" than those shows because the writers are earnestly trying to convey a vivid and genuine world to their audiences. More often than not, the characters of dramas are more compelling than the more shallow struggles we see on reality TV. After all, drama actors want to do more than just be on TV.
Why are politicians still trying to turn out sitcoms? People crave a does of realism from their idols. They root for people who have overcome weaknesses, they respect a little circumspection from people they want to trust with their emotions, or their tax dollars. Everywhere I go, where there is a real match between Rs and Ds, if I turn on the TV, barbs are being traded back and forth with ominous narration, and newsprint on a black background... or some guy is sitting on a shady picnic bench with his wife and identical hound telling me just how much he loves his (state, county, city, precinct, prefecture or oblast), and how hard he fights to send child molesters to Guantanamo bay. What the hell is this?
Why don't they show these guys with real people, in real (though edited) moments at speeches, meetings, or in the grocery store? They could at least make it look real. Is the truth so bad it can't even be airbrushed a little? If people crave reality so much, they'll really go for the "real" leader. The first politician takes the risks to at least look unscriped is guaranteed a 5 point uptick in the polls (+/- 6%). Do these guys do real things? Do they ever have moments of genuine concern or is this just about the money? I know the county commissioners, coroners and sheriffs are real. What about congressmen and governors? One thing is that the bar is higher for politicians than it is for actors or reality TV stars. The dollars in play are in fact ours to begin with. The issues in the balance really matter.
The real successful TV politician will transcend the wet-t-shirt contests and make a closing argument more powerful than Sam Waterston on Law and Order, more heartfelt than any tender moment of love in a time of hardship found on Lost, or 6 Feet Under. They'll then have to go a step forward and be real advocates for the people, real citizens and civic leaders. As they used to say on my favorite gameshow format video game Smash TV...
Good Luck... youulll need it!
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