Unreal 'Reality TV' : visual 'eyeQ' tester?

[icarusinbound]

I'd expect most forum members/visitors are above-average in being able to recognise that many (all?) 'reality' television programmes are scripted/directed and as false as hell. But there is also that other type of person...those trusting story-soaked saps, that seem to believe every flickering fiction set in front of them.

Probably well-before Endemol's first high-profile foray into Dutch 'Big Brother', and certainly eased into group consciousness by supposedly-vérité programmes such as 'The Osbornes'......it is frightening to actually look at certain people who are watching tv content such as 'Auction Hunters', or scripted talent shows that are calculated to keep the proles sidelined. Many of these trusting souls display levels of media credulity that are only a few percent better than isolated tribal cultures, simply soaking-up everything they see, hook, line, sinker.

Here's a gut-feeling from me regarding humanity, which I wish I could substantiate. I bet acceptance/belief levels regarding classic 9/11 imagery and related content is much higher amongst people that unquestioningly absorb these 'reality' TV shows. Perhaps most forum members and visitors consider this to be a self-evident truism, and, yes, you'd be right. But you're reading this just now...you're able to detect the gaps in the scenery, pick-up on blindingly-obvious falsity...you've probably not got many problems with your 'visual eyeQ'.

Just how do we educate those that have excellent vision, yet an inability to see?

[lux]

I work as an antique dealer in the LA area. It is generally known amongst my colleagues that the recent spate of "auction," "storage," "picker" type TV shows are faked. The "finds" are often rented from collectors or from prop houses. The personnel you see are often paid actors/extras. The values of items are greatly exaggerated as well.

In a similar vein, there are also now lots of "vintage car dealer" type reality shows which I suppose are faked to some degree as well.

All these shows have had a tremendously adverse effect on the business, something that my colleagues did not at first see but now it has become undeniable.

I presume this is intentional and is the purpose behind all these shows, i.e., to destroy small businesses of this type. (my opinion)

[maggie]

I'm smarting from this denigration of the value of antiques and collectables as well.
We're sitting on a ton of really nice items to sell, but the selling climate is dead in the water.
I guess nothing of this material world is finally of value, an illusion, but gee, it's awfully pretty and interesting while we're all still here to perceive it.