Survivor, The Bachelor, The Amazing Race, 19 Kids and Counting, Jon and Kate Plus 8, The Real World, Big Brother, Little People Big World, and so many more are just a few of the several reality TV shows that have been created and enjoyed by millions of people. Reality TV has become an American way of life and guilty pleasure. Watching other people's lives and how they live has become increasing popular. We are invited into people lives as we have never before and sometimes we are allowed to view their most private moments. What do we take from these programs? Why do we love them? What do we learn from them? Do we get to experience different ways of lives and cultures in a realistic way? Do these programs enrich our lives? What do you think?Marlee Matlin, a very famous actress that just happens to be Deaf is promoting a reality TV show based on a Deaf family. Watch the clip provided and comment on what you think this program will provide to its viewers. Do you think it is a good idea? Why or why not? Will this educate people about being Deaf in a positive light? What is beneficial and what is harmful about this?
My Deaf Family Pilot
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P-Gc85nQK8w
I must confess, I am a reality tv Junkie! So, there is no question for me if I would watch or not...I most definitely would.
ReplyDeleteI feel like I know a little too much about Deaf Culture to determine whether this would help/hurt understanding of Deaf Culture. I would be interested to get the perspective from a hearing person who knows nothing of Deaf Culture.
If I had to choose, I would say that overall this program would be beneficial to Deaf Culture. Why? Because like most anything, educating the public is the first step to acceptance, understanding and embracing different cultures. Since so much of America doesn't even realize Deaf Culture exists, this would likely be an important step towards education.
I think Jarad (the oldest child) is funny ... they sort of portray him in the flick as different somehow because his parents and siblings are Deaf. But in reality, he appears just like any other teenage boy that I know... Not wanting his mom involved in his 'personal life,' giving his brother a hard time, etc. :)
I love reality TV! And I think that this show is such a great idea! I would totally watch it. It would increase Deaf awareness for sure. IT would show the public that Deaf people are just like everyone else in their appearance, intelligence and their daily lives. It would also show some of the struggles that they go through and it could possibly teach the public how to approach a Deaf person or interact with them. I think that the majority of society overlooks Deaf culture as a culture and this show would reflect some of the things it values or some of the things that set it apart from other cultures.
ReplyDeleteThe only thing that I found that the public might take negatively was the driving. I think that it is cool that they can drive and carry on a conversation, because I know that I couldn't, but the rest of the nation might find this dangerous ;) Other wise I don't think that this program would do anything but good for Deaf culture.
Something that made me laugh was how Jarad said that he wishes that his mom wasn't all in his business. All moms are like that, not just Deaf moms :)
This show looks like it would be amazing. I don't know why no networks have picked it up. Seriously, if someone will put Jersey Shore on there is no reason for this show to not be on.
ReplyDeleteI feel like it would make a much larger demagrafic of people a whole lot more "Deaf-Savvy." Perhaps it would help to dispell some of those sterotypes we've been discussing. I feel like the more a person knows about a different culture, the more likely they are to treat it with respect. Sadly these days the majority of the population isn't going to enroll in a Deaf culture class. Most of them will spend hours plopped in front of their TV's, why not trick them into learning something while they are sitting there.
Beyond that I think it would be hugely entertaining. The family seems very dynamic and if their Deaf household is anything like Monica's there should be ample amounts of entertaining anecdotes.
Hey "Jersey Shore" is a GREAT Show...haha jk jk. Yeah, it is kind of hard to understand why this show was not picked up on some channel. It seemed like any other reality TV show, just with a new twist on it, Deafness. It had the typical bigger family, and with four of them being deaf, had the family trait that separated this family from any normal one.
ReplyDeleteI think if this show was put on the air Deaf awareness would have increased for sure. How couldn't it have? The problem with people not knowing about Deaf Culture is that they are not aware that it even exists. They don't really know about Deaf people at all. This show could have enlightened so many people around the world about what it actually means to be Deaf and all the struggles and difficulties Deaf people have just because of how uneducated the hearing world is.
I understand the idea behind doing the show and think it is possible for it to have a positive effect on the Deaf community and to also create awareness about Deaf issues.
ReplyDeleteThat said, reality TV usually ends the same way when it revolved around a family - worse than when it started. Producers create unnecessary drama to boost ratings, etc etc. It's also never good to have children grow up through being on TV.
It's a wash for me. The positives equal the negatives. If they do it well it can be a positive influence for the public, or it could be another reality show that ruins a family. I guess we'll have to wait and see.
Haha - I like Melissa's idea about people 'plopped in front of their tv' - and trick them into learning something at the same time! Fantastic!
ReplyDeleteAlso Josie, I'm with you. I was nervous just WATCHING them sign and drive! LOL! Perfect example of 'Deaf Driving'
I think it's a good idea for a show and would help viewers to see that being Deaf isn't a negative thing. There are shows that are far worse that get aired and serve no other purpose than highlighting stupidity, so i don't understand why this one didn't do so great. At least it would have been somewhat educational.
ReplyDeleteBut there are always positives and negatives when you open your house up the world to watch, whether or not your hearing or deaf and that can be very stressful on a family.
I love watching reality T.V. shows and this one I would watch too. I think this would be a show to watch. It would help the world see what it's like living in a Deaf family. I also think it would show the world that there is nothing wrong with Deaf people they are like everybody else they just can't hear and that we shouldn't be scared to talk to them. It could lead people to want to learn sign because they think its cool but that also could be not a good thing cause they would just learn it for how it looks when they sign. But getting this show on the air would be a good way to start showing the world ASL and it could start to break the wall between the Deaf world and the hearing world.
ReplyDeleteReality T.V shows seem to be what everyone is interested in watching lately! People love watching other people's lives on T.V. I think that this reality show could be good to show hearing people about Deaf Culture, but it would definitely have to be brought about in the right way. Reality T.V shows can often be skewed and end up like Jerad said "worse than when they started." Many times private family matters should not be shared with the world. Maybe if she included multiple families in the reality series there would not be so much pressure on just one family. If a few different families were focused on, people could see many different Deaf families. This way, a hearing person's perception of a Deaf family is not just based on one example.
ReplyDeleteI think that there should be shows on TV that Deaf people can watch in their own language. I have found that many times when a show includes someone who signs the person is almost never filmed where you can adequately see what is signed. It would be nice if this show could be filmed so that those watching who know sign language could actually see the signs! A Deaf friendly TV show!
As most people have commented there seems to be a reality show for about everything else days. People love to compare their lives to others and reality series have gained popularity because of this unspoken pleasure. I am surprised to hear that no networks picked up the series. I say, put them on the Oprah Show their story will spread like wildfire!
ReplyDeleteI think the series would be greatly beneficial to the Deaf community and the hearing world. It will not only educate the hearing about Deaf culture, but we will be able to compare and contrast our lifestyles on a weekly basis. If the show turns out to be successful, I can imagine they would add other families to the reality series in future seasons.
I agree with Jared and the statistics of reality shows. Its hard for me not to root for this show though...
I don't watch reality tv much so I'm not sure about some things like why others enjoy them or what exactly people get out of them.
ReplyDeleteI think that this could potentially be a good thing for the Deaf culture and community to dispel incorrect assumptions and to show people that Deaf people aren't significantly different than hearing people.
I agree with Jared that most all reality TV involving families tends to end badly. And for that reason I am hesitant to hope too much that the show gets picked up because they seem like a nice family and I'd hate to see the media ruin that.
ReplyDeleteI don't know what we learn from reality t.v. really, its just entertainment to me so this would be a cool twist in reality t.v. I wish that they would make this a real show, I believe that a lot of people would watch this family and learn about Deaf Culture and how Deaf people cope in their every day lives. Also I think the deaf community would love for this show to air so they can have a show that they can relate to in one way or another.
ReplyDeleteLindsey
I agree with the comments above on how reality tv tends to 'skew' things and promote conflict.
ReplyDeleteIn this situation I think it may be different; the producer of the show is Marlee Matlin, the famous Deaf actress. I anticipate she would ensure positive representation of Deaf Culture and family life. ( I hope! )
I really agree with what Jared said about how T.V. tries to create drama and how a show like this usually isn't good for a kid to grow up with. I still think the show would give a good overall representation of what being Deaf is all about. I do feel though that it could be a stressful process on the family having the camera's in their house most of the time and that kid of stuff. But as Julie pointed out, Marlee Matlin is the producer, so it may be a bit different that a normal reality T.V. show.
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