'The Real World's' greatest contributions to Western civilization

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 Popularizing the 'people in a house' genreA young face for the war in IraqJacinda Barrett's film careerCalling attention to the dangers of alcohol abuse without being maudlinA voice for HIV educationAn afterlife for reality starsThe creation of hip-hop-erciseInspiring serious discussions about gentrificationThe comics oeuvre of Judd WinickBorrowed the idea of the confessional from the Catholic Church and helped it flourish in culture

Twenty-three-year-old Ryan Conklin <a href="http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/showtracker/2009/03/the-real-world.html">got the news he was being called back to Iraq</a> while still shooting "The Real World: Brooklyn." (He served his first tour at just 17, when he enrolled post-9/11.) An advocate for veterans, Conklin said he's glad to have been included in the cast: "It's our generation serving," he said. "This many years into the war, I wanted people to remember, especially younger people, that it's us over there."

A young face for the war in Iraq

( MTV )

Twenty-three-year-old Ryan Conklin got the news he was being called back to Iraq while still shooting "The Real World: Brooklyn." (He served his first tour at just 17, when he enrolled post-9/11.) An advocate for veterans, Conklin said he's glad to have been included in the cast: "It's our generation serving," he said. "This many years into the war, I wanted people to remember, especially younger people, that it's us over there."

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