Where were you when Balloon Boy (Falcon Heene) was floating around in the sky?
I got home from work by the time it was discovered he was hiding in the attic. But for a good day, the people of this country were captivated by an experimental aircraft that supposedly had a boy inside. Oh, many people ignored the fact that it looked like the aircraft probably could not fly with the child inside. Many of us were too busy being captivated by the sheer absurdity the story.
As a headline for this article/editorial from the Boston Globe explains: Admit it– we make Balloon Boy stories fly. Hey, remember, the Montauk Monster from a year ago? (I’m surprised it hasn’t inspired a movie yet.) Odd things grab our attention. However, difference between the average person and media is how long one get attached to a story. I’m guilty of it as I write this post.
However, there actually is more behind the story this time around. It’s still all about attention.
While editorial cartoonists were going “Hey, remember that movie Up?” or making a stretched political allusions (Obama as the Balloon Boy because of the rising deficit… or something like that), some journalists realized that they had seen the family before.
They were on Wife Swap. The episode with the storm-chasing dad (and his family) gets paired with the family that is all about safety.
More facts have been unfolding about Richard Heene, domestic violence issues, his playing scientist (with only a high school diploma). For the sake of this post, I want to focus on the fact that, as AP reports:
But the investigation could reach beyond the Heenes, possibly into the world of reality-show promotions.
Larimer County Sheriff Jim Alderden said documents show that a media outlet had agreed to pay the ”>Heenes. Alderden did not name the organization but said it was in an industry that blurs “the line between entertainment and news.” It was not clear whether the deal was signed before or after the alleged hoax, or whether the media outlet was a possible conspirator. If so, the organization could face charges as well.
People are seeking attention– media attention for whatever reason with reality shows looking to be the easiest way to get known. Perhaps people like being part of the spectacle or perhaps they’re looking to break into acting.
The current state of reality TV stinks for entertainment, especially now that most people are aware of the scripting or that people formulate the drama themselves. I mean there’s even the Cartoon Network show, Total Drama Island and it’s sequel Total Drama Action. I think the shark has been flown over once there’s a cartoon version. People are actually watching regular sitcoms and drama again. (To be fair, there are pretty good series airing. Pysch, for example is awesome.)
It’s been a decade since MTV’s Real World that started the craze for reality television as we know it. Oh yeah, there was/is Candid Camera but that’s different as we weren’t following people lives at that point. And besides, memory is a fickle thing. In the beginning, the show was actually an interesting social experiment. 7 strangers transplanted to NYC from different areas of the US, and dealing with each other, culture shock and working.
But like with many things MTV it started to suck. Probably due to a combination of patterns of casting on the show and that the continued on running long enough that the teenager who grew up watching were eligble to try out to be a cast members. They recognized what role they might play and even then they started their own drama just to be that one person and strecth their 15 minutes as long as they can.
Then reality TV began to change from learning about real people’s lives or social experiments to DRAMA, DRAMA, DRA-MA. We have gotten to the point where we have scripted series that pretend to be reality TV shows.
However, that isn’t to say that all reality TV turned rotten with some bad apples. Some of the shows that require a modicum of talent (Top Chef, So You Think You Can Dance?, etc.) are still good. Probably because people are actually doing something, and have talent worthy of being praised. In this case the drama is just an actual side-effect. Even, my current guilty pleasure The Rachel Zoe Project, features Mrs. Zoe and her assistants doing something. Oh you might think it’s easy dressing people, but from experience, it is not. Much less if they are celebrities in full view of the public eye.
Who am I kidding? I watch the show for Brad. He's so dreamy.
On the opposite end of the spectrum we also have shows like Extreme Makeover: Home Edition which provide homes for families dealing with hardships. Or you have a show like Kathy Griffin: Life on the D-List where it’s clear to everyone that reality show is not always real, and is half the fun.
The major problem with hoaxes like the “Balloon Boy” and the rise and fall of reality TV is that people want big crazy moments to happen, but are too impatient to just let it happen. If they aren’t watching and waiting for the big moment Richard Heene wanted fame, and instead off doing anything major to deserve it or waiting around for luck to happen to him, he half-assed a hoax, and now has to face felony charges, probably for waisting the time and resources of local officials looking for his son.
This story will be forgotten soon. The lessoned to be learned from all this is that classic moments (songs, albums, novels, artwork, events) that are craved are either crafted by tireless work, accident or sprezzatura.
