what are the ethical concerns of reality shows?

Answer 1

Instead of paying an actor, they employ an open-door screening process whereby those with the least self-respect will show they will do anything for the mere dangling possibility of a dollar...

Every contestant is pre-judged scum-of-the-earth.
Since it's always supposed that they are perfectly rational agents, in control of what they want, who understand the rules, etc.

It's sensationalistic exploitation.
It's a disgusting display as to why we need social intervention before we bottom out on the lowest common denominator...

Answer 2

They have no ethical concerns. There were 2 popular reality shows in the 70s called Real People, and That's Incredible. One of them featured a stunt inwhere the contestant had to jump over a corvette speeding at him 100/mph. 7 people were killed before they stopped it. It's no different today. Some of the bugs they have to eat are actually poisionous!

Answer 3

The only ethical concern is about the right of an audience to see the "truth" about something ,in real time.But I think all those shows are set-up and false.So the audience can't see reality,in fact,they only see what a director of the show wanted them to see,in order to be interesting and shocking.

Answer 4

The one ethical concern I have with reality shows is precisely that they are not 100% real, since many situations in them are "staged".

Answer 5

One concern is that those shows are presenting themselves to be reality in the making, but are really rehearsed or staged. That is not ethical.

Answer 6

One of the concerns: It distorts reality by:
1. Magnifying the survival instinct placing it out of the context of consensually agreed upon moral standard. Reality shows run along with the "everything counts" rule with total disregard to human dignity and social mutual dependency, which are moral constraints to our unfretted freedom.
2. Blurring the borders that guarantee privacy its proper place in life and society. Reality shows cater to human morbid desire to peek into other persons' privacy and thus do away with a basic right for individual: the right to explore his or her own self without interference. By denying the right to privacy, reality shows generate a passive society that allows governments to pry into their private lives, just as the Bush administration has been doing recently without fear of impeachment.

Answer 7

Is it ethical to ask people to do something that you as the administrator of the show would not do, yourself. There are stunts that are demeaning or humiliating, and asking a person to attempt to do it is offensive and cruel. There are a certain amount of physical and psychological risks to people who are chosen to participate. Finally, some people are asked to betray their own personal beliefs for money or prizes. The reward does not justify the loss of self esteem.

Answer 8

No reality shows are actually reality I mean come on who lives like most of these people! Not Me that's for Damn sure!

Most of the people who do these shows are already at the bottom of the barrel anyway! So who cares if they shuck all their morals just to be famous!
They wouldn't have to go to judgment day they'd be SUPERSTARS! LOL!

Answer 9

They have no ethical concerns but if i could become Emperor of a Philosophical Dominion over the world i would ban them for their corrupt and festering affect on the souls of its viewers.

Answer 10

The only concern I have with reality shows is...it's not MY reality.