Last month, the SAT included an essay question with a prompt about reality shows. The essay prompt was: “Reality television programs, which feature real people engaged in real activities rather than professional actors performing scripted scenes, are increasingly popular. These shows depict ordinary people competing in everything from singing and dancing to losing weight, or just living their everyday lives. Most people believe that the reality these shows portray is authentic, but they are being misled. How authentic can these shows be when producers design challenges for the participants and then editors alter filmed scenes? Do people benefit from forms of entertainment that show so-called reality, or are such forms of entertainment harmful?”
I can tell you right now, I would be stumped. I don’t know a lot about reality television so I don’t have the knowledge to apply to this question.
Maybe my struggles with answering the question stem from the fact that I watch more news programs than reality TV shows. Oh, don’t misunderstand me. I love my “Grey’s Anatomy,” “Glee” and “V,” but I also never miss an episode of “The Daily Show” or “Piers Morgan.” NPR doesn’t gossip about which “Survivor” star should be the next to go.
I’ll admit that I’ve never seen “The Jersey Shore.” From the clips I have seen on talk shows, I know that it’s not my cup of coffee. I’ve also never watched a cat-fight on “The Real Housewives” or mused about the burgeoning STDs mixing amongst the various cast members of “The Real World.”
The one “guilty pleasure” I do indulge in is watching America’s Next Top Model. But I wouldn’t call anything that includes a group of girls gallivanting in couture dresses with makeup artists and gossiping with Tyra Banks a reality. It’s a show.
Angela Garcia, director of the SAT program, is defending the question. She claims that the essay is meant to appeal to a large amount of the public’s knowledge, requiring these students to use deductive reasoning in answering the question. I understand where Garcia is coming from.
However, the SAT is a significant factor as to what ultimately gets you accepted into college. If, as Garcia says, the majority of teenagers know more about reality television than other topics, that’s fine. But, who says that has to be a question on a standardized exam, which can help or hinder your acceptance into college?
If “The Jersey Shore” is all these kids know, tough. Open up that no-doubt-dusty textbook. Download a documentary off iTunes. Or better yet, change the channel to CNN for an hour. My fellow geeks in high school have done it. They can vouch for me when I say that learning is fun.
Society shouldn’t have to lower its intellectual standards because some people think that’s the way the youth are headed. If we allow future students to expect such trivial questions in pursuit of their goals, we are equivocating their worth to mediocrity.
So, what do you want the future of our country thinking about when taking one of the most important tests of their lives? Whether Snooki is good for the world? Or who was the best leader of our country?
It’s their test. It’s our future.
