Reality--What a Concept

Regarding “The Death of Reality,” by Greg Braxton and Robert W. Welkos (Dec. 13):

What our culture has failed to address and what the article aptly shows is that the basic function of television is to entertain, and nothing it presents can ever escape this fact. Thus, we must understand that there is no such thing as a “reality” show on television, because “reality” is not inherently entertaining.

Borrowing from Neil Postman, “television is only really dangerous when it tries to take itself seriously.” It is at its best when it is at its worst. The irony in this statement is aptly brought forward by Braxton and Welkos. It seems that the most cultured critics urge television to take itself more seriously. But, as we are learning, television is most harmful when it indeed tries to take itself seriously. No matter how hard it tries, it will never be a source of information, only a source of entertainment.

Susan Fales, executive producer of “A Different World,” is being both ignorant and elitist when she says it is the audience’s responsibility to distinguish between history and fiction. It is her responsibility to stick within the limits of her format; her job is to entertain and nothing more.

Our culture values the word, and we will not trade it for the image reality television offers. Unfortunately, most people have ignored Marshall McLuhan’s message (and even Aldous Huxley’s), but once we all fully realize the grasp that television is taking over our realities, we will deny it and reject it. By quantifying the absurdity of television’s attempts to take itself seriously this year, Braxton and Welkos’ article is a good step in this direction.

As viewers, we must not give television the power to create our realities. We must demand to be entertained and not affected. We must demand news networks instead of network news. As consumers, we have the power and right to achieve this.

MICHAEL CODRON

Los Angeles