Need help with my debat this friday.

T_I_N_A20 · #1 (**permalink**) 10-18-2006, 03:09 PM

You guys watch reality show so... I'm going to ask you guys... It concerns the people that watch those.

My debat question is : Do Reality shows take too much place in society?

I have a debat this friday and I'm against the question while my partner is for the question... I have some few arguments about it but I don't think it's strong enought. I tried searching on the internet but they always talk about good or bad thing about the reality show but not about the society. I have to prove to the audience that reality shows don't take too much place in today society.

I'm trying to find the past popular tv show type in Quebec and other part of the world, mostly US. I want to tell the audience that it's only a trend and that another type of tv show will take over in a few years or so but I need to prove to them with statistic or things like that. Also, I need to have viewer rate from different type of tv show, but I can't find one in the internet...

It seems like most of my classmate are all for this question.

JanH · #2 (**permalink**) 10-18-2006, 03:16 PM

I think it is a trend, too. At my age, I've seen lots of shows come and go. Variety shows were big when I was small and so were game shows and westerns. Also, family shows like Father knows best, Gidget, Leave it to Beaver. Then came more "controversial" shows like All in the Family. Then family shows like the Waltons, and Little House on the Prairie. Then the Dallas type of show. Then comedies. Now dramas and reality shows. I think that people will eventually get tired of them and move on to another trend.

Ima saver · #3 (**permalink**) 10-18-2006, 03:18 PM

I hope it is a trend, I hate those type of shows and never ever watch them!

JanH · #4 (**permalink**) 10-18-2006, 03:19 PM

The thing that disturbs me about some of the reality shows is that people admit that a lot of it is staged or edited or "acted" in some way. Not true reality. So I don't know if that is any different that a regular tv show. What do you think?

vsjhoc · #5 (**permalink**) 10-18-2006, 03:20 PM

Maybe you could clip the TV listings from today's newspaper or the Internet. Calculate the percentage that are reality vs. non-reality so you could show it is only a small part of the choice for viewers.

JanH · #6 (**permalink**) 10-18-2006, 03:28 PM

I think a lot of younger viewers seem attracted to the reality shows. But I'm not sure how many of us older viewers are as interested. Wonder if you could find some stats on age groups. I hear the college kids talking some about them, but not many of the older crowd. But they may be secret viewers.....

T_I_N_A20 · #7 (**permalink**) 10-18-2006, 04:28 PM

there's also shows like American idols that you guys may watch. That's consider reality tv show. My side is to think that the reality show doesn't take too much place in today society.

Bookie · #8 (**permalink**) 10-18-2006, 04:48 PM

One thing you might like to look into is the effect of fragmentation among the TV viewing public. We have gone from a 3 network broadcast universe to the hundreds of channels provided via cable and satellite.

The viewing public is fragmented among the many possibilities, much to the dismay of advertisers, and the impact of any single show or any single genre is diluted. I've seen a number of articles addressing the trend in recent months.

Furthermore, so-called reality TV is essentially no different from the other forms of passive television that consume 5 hours a day according to a statistic I saw a while back. It's just a different flavor of popcorn entertainment.

You might do some Google searching on - Television statistics (lots of information), TV Audience fragmentation or segmentation.

Also Slate Magazine published an article on a poll done concerning reality TV.

The link is here.

Good luck

T_I_N_A20 · #9 (**permalink**) 10-18-2006, 06:00 PM

I can't find any that are useful... I guess I'm just going to argue without a statistic or anything. God... The girl who chose this question should know that my position is very limited... It seems like the internet think there's too many reality shows. There's no such things that talk about the society of today.

tinapbeana · #10 (**permalink**) 10-19-2006, 05:18 AM

you may want to go to the neilson website (the folks who do the TV ratings). they compile statistics about what shows get watched by whom, and may have some hard numbers available. or, google "neilson stats" or something similar.

PrincessPerky · #11 (**permalink**) 10-19-2006, 09:52 AM

I just wondered is debate..really debat in Canada?

Bookie · #12 (**permalink**) 10-19-2006, 11:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PrincessPerky

I just wondered is debate..really debat in Canada?

How can you doubt it?

.

T_I_N_A20 · #13 (**permalink**) 10-19-2006, 02:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PrincessPerky

I just wondered is debate..really debat in Canada?

Not that's in French. It's quite similar to the English word debate... Sorry about that.

thekid · #14 (**permalink**) 10-19-2006, 03:01 PM

I would suggest that the basic premise of your argument could be that it makes no difference whether the form of tv enterainment is "reality" shows, sitcoms, comedy sketches, game shows, etc. They are all just tv entertainment and one is not superior to the other. Why is it better or worse to watch American Idol than Occupation Double (I'm also a french canadian

than the Crosby show than Saturday Night Live than The Price is Right than [any other tv show]. Granted some reality shows are more "low brow" than others but so is anyother kind of tv show (some are better "quality" than others). The real question is whether tv entertainment takes too much place in our society, not whether reality shows take too much place.

I actually think you have the more easily defendable position. Any other kind of argument would have to demonstrate that "other" shows are "better" than reality shows for it to make a difference. They would have to defend a very paternalistic and elistist view of what is proper entertainment.

Have fun.

T_I_N_A20 · #15 (**permalink**) 10-19-2006, 04:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by thekid

I would suggest that the basic premise of your argument could be that it makes no difference whether the form of tv enterainment is "reality" shows, sitcoms, comedy sketches, game shows, etc. They are all just tv entertainment and one is not superior to the other. Why is it better or worse to watch American Idol than Occupation Double (I'm also a french canadian

than the Crosby show than Saturday Night Live than The Price is Right than [any other tv show]. Granted some reality shows are more "low brow" than others but so is anyother kind of tv show (some are better "quality" than others). The real question is whether tv entertainment takes too much place in our society, not whether reality shows take too much place.

I actually think you have the more easily defendable position. Any other kind of argument would have to demonstrate that "other" shows are "better" than reality shows for it to make a difference. They would have to defend a very paternalistic and elistist view of what is proper entertainment.

Have fun.

Hey!! Thanks fellow French Canadian =). Unfortunatly I don't watch those shows, but I have a good idea how I'm going to argue with the other person... Hehe.. Although I'm a little worry because the debater on the opposite side is pretty aggressive when it comes to arguing. The same as me too hehe but I have a problem expressing myself in public and she doesn't seem to have any difficulty when it comes to talking... Arrg. I hope it'll go well tomorrow.

tinapbeana · #16 (**permalink**) 10-19-2006, 05:05 PM

top broadcast shows, from the nielson ratings folks:

RANK PROGRAM
1 GREY'S ANATOMY-THU 9PM
2 CSI
3 DANCING WITH THE STARS
4 DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES
5 DANCING W/STARS RESULTS
6 CBS NFL NATL POST GUN
6 CSI: NY
8 CSI: MIAMI
9 60 MINUTES
10 CRIMINAL MINDS

PrincessPerky · #17 (**permalink**) 10-20-2006, 07:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by T_I_N_A20

Not that's in French. It's quite similar to the English word debate... Sorry about that.

so how is it pronounced?

and I can't believe there are that many CSI's!

BTW 'good luck, relax, not the fate of the world, you'll do fine, and most important you will learn from the eperience.

thekid · #18 (**permalink**) 10-20-2006, 07:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PrincessPerky

so how is it pronounced?

and I can't believe there are that many CSI's!

BTW 'good luck, relax, not the fate of the world, you'll do fine, and most important you will learn from the eperience.

It is pronounced Day-Ba. The actual spelling takes an accent on the e....débat (silent T at the end).

Tout pour aider votre français

tinapbeana · #19 (**permalink**) 10-20-2006, 07:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PrincessPerky

and I can't believe there are that many CSI's!

i know, right? 4 of the top 10 are crime/aberrant human behavior shows. 5, if you count desparate housewives

PrincessPerky · #20 (**permalink**) 10-20-2006, 08:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by thekid

It is pronounced Day-Ba. The actual spelling takes an accent on the e....débat (silent T at the end).

Tout pour aider votre français

thanks..I have bad english pronunciation, I hate to attempt french without help!

all for helping your french?

did I guess right?