MTV's "Real World" Educational?

[Jesse James]

Who'd have thought that MTV's "Real World" TV show could ever educate someone?  Not I!

But as I sit here tonight, I tell you that I've learned more about Phobias through this show than ever in my life...  I'm obviously far from an expert on them.

Tonight's re-run featured a phobia I'd never have guessed, and last season of the show featured yet another!

My fascination of tonight's episode was when the one girl in the house decided that she didn't want to participate in a benefit that her "job" that she's set up with via the show was not something she could handle.

Her problem?  She's "afraid" of people with disabilities apparantly...  Yes, this is I guess a phobia, and not discrimination of any kind.  Just a fear.

Now, of course there's some sarcasm in my voice as I mock this...  The girl's excuse was along the lines of, "When I was little, they let the special ed kids out to play with us and they would push us around on the playground and now I'm afraid of them so I don't want to participate at the benefit for our organization".

The kids had Cerebal Palsy...  It had to be explained to the girl about what that is exactly, and how they're not mentally challenged...

I wonder why the show, and the people on it, felt justified in calling it a "phobia" instead of blatant intollerance towards a group of people...  It was one of the dumbest things I've seen on TV...  Yeah I should expect it from "The Real World", but this moment truly triumphed over every benchmark of stupidity that show has ever set...

Case in point:

Last season, the other "phobia" brought to my attention was that apparantly you can be afraid of REALLY big boats.  The "punker" chick that season, who signed up for a RW taping which took place at a major city on the West Coast, and on top of that a major harbor (I forget the city off-hand), was afraid any time she saw a boat...  NOt like dingy's, but like a big boat.

She ran, crying, back to her house when she was at the docks for their first day of their job the show gave them that season...  There was a passenger liner within her line of sight.

See, I had no idea there was so much stupidity, errr, I mean so many types of phobias out there.  Learn something new every day, huh?

BTW yes, I do kill brain cells watching the show some.  I like watching people fight, and always like to see who the most psycho person is every season.

[Angry Ewok]

To be perfectly honest, it'd be nice to see some serious STD awareness education or something being put into this season of Real World. Granted we're all grown ups and hopefully we're fully aware of the consequences of being a whore, but a lot of real young viewers are watching this stuff.

[Jesse James]

and who better to be examples of whores than the Real World cast...

The question is then, who do you get with an STD to go infect them?

[Angry Ewok]

I don't think they need any help getting infected - at this rate, for all we know, a couple of them already are. I wouldn't be surprised if by the season's end MTV runs an STD Awareness Special because one of the house-mate's gets something.

Anyone else hear about the rape that occured in the house? It was kept really hush, so I don't know anything about it except that it happened.

Edit - That was the last season, in SD. Nevermind.

[Scott]

I haven't watched the real world since the one with Puck.  I liked that one

A. Everyone loves Puck
B. Pedro Hates Puck
C. Everyone Hates Puck

It was great

[Darth Broem]

My wife will have the Real World on every now and then and sometimes I watch it along with her.  This latest one just shows this guy drunk and scoring chicks almost each and every episode.  Then the ladies get upset and irrate and call someone to moan about it.  Then they turn around the next night and do almost the same.  I have not seen anything educational about it yet. 

They use to have some decent seasons early on I thought.  Then again I was younger and probably got more out then as opposed to being 30 years old now.

[Angry Ewok]

Like Brian says, the earlier seasons were pretty decent. Ever since, Oh, say, Hawaai, I guess, the seasons have sucked ass, though. Boston was my favorite, I think. I liked seeing the house mates working with the youth program.

I wish MTV made it a point to do things like that, as far as assigning jobs goes, so that they would either better the community they are crashing, or better themselves, or both.

[Jesse James]

I like the conflict mostly...  That's what made Puck's season so great.

That said, I dont' really rate the show high ever, but watchable.  I much more enjoy the Real World/Road Rules challenge show that's on right now...  I love watching the girls argue incessantly, while the guys have dominated the games for the most part, and also kept their collective crap together.

It's very telling about differences in the sexes I think...

My "educational" remark was obviously sarcasm though, towards the series...  That phobia crap just kind of astonished me.

1) the girl with this "phobia" or fear of handicapped/disabled people is nothing more than discrimination.  The irony there is that the girl with the feelings is black...  One would think she'd be more open-minded then. 

You can't FEAR a group of people to me.  She treats them like disabled people scare her on some level, and she (and I quote) "can't deal with them".  If you are that way, you have a problem beyond a Phobia, yet in the show they were all consoling her and trying to be understanding...

I guess my question was, why are the disabled allowed to be feared, but if it were a minority it would've simply been racism?  If it'd been the guy that goes out every week to get laid that's on the show saying "Ya know, I just can't deal with gays, they scare me", then the gay guy (I think 2 of them are gay maybe) would've said to him, "You're a homophobe!", and they'd be right I believe.

Same as if that dude would've said, "Ya know, black people are scary so I can't deal with them...  It's my phobia".  WTF!?  That's racism, not a phobia. 

I guess my post was more a venting thing about the hypocracy of the people who do grace that series...  Racism's a constant argument on that show, and almost a given in every season that SOMEONE's going to fight about that subject at some point...

Yet, someone has a self-described "phobia" of physically or mentally handicapped people, and it's a "fear", or "phobia" to everyone...  Not discrimination against people who are different, just an accepted "fear" of them.

Flabbergasted by the stupidity perhaps?  I believe that's what prompted my topic here more than anything...  Maybe it's because I have a neice who's disabled, or because my own health's not the best in the world...  I'm just disgusted that it was so acceptable of her to be so stupid.

I could've slapped that girl across the face like Terrance & Philip did to Brooke Shields in the South Park movie though.  I so wanted to.

[Shannon (Princess)]

Maybe she wasn't so much stupid as she was naive.  She still participated and at the end attempted she was wrong for reacting the way she did originally, that's at least something.
Now, the boat thing- that just didn't add up.   They were in San Diego and she saw a boat through a window and had a panic attack.  Thing was that their job that year was to learn how to work on a boat, and she didn't have too many problems w/ that.  I think she just had too many issues being in that environment- which ultimately she left before the season ended.
That was the same season that had the rape- it was allegedly by a guest against another guest in the bathroom.
I surprised no one else has gotten pregnant on one of these shows- by another house-mate that is, while  filming.  It'll probably be the next thing that happens...

[Jesse James]

One can hope...  Ratings!

The boat thing was absurd.  Why even go to a city like that if you're afraid of boats?  Duh! 

You don't go to Pittsburgh if you can't go over a bridge, ya know?

That girl was the whackjob of that show though, so digging for reasons is a futile effort I'm sure.  She was constantly crying, whining, bitching, fighting, and generally was the pot-stirrer for that season. 

Unfortunately the pot-stirrers always are the ones that go home early.

[Shannon (Princess)]

Oh, I'm glad she went home early- Frankie- San Diego.  She didn't really try to get to know anyone or let them into her world.
I think they are all spoiled though, especially w/ the ones who now live making the shows where they come back and fight, I mean compete, w/ one another.  That's what they do for a LIVING!