2008 Woodie Awards
Reality TV represents vulgar materialism
Katherine J. White
Issue date: 11/16/05 Section: Opinion
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Reality TV is a misnomer; it is often unreal.
Or rather, reality TV's propensity for foisting the false doctrine of arrogant, self-centered materialism is unbelievable.
Check out The Donald on "The Apprentice," who looks sublimely ridiculous wearing his grim pout and making an entrance into his infernally dark inner sanctum sanctorum as though conducting the Holy Inquisition. This Grand Inquisitor of the status quo, with his fiercely immobile moue, sits himself down in the midst of a gallery of anxious, grimacing novice-devotees of the religion of materialism. Dump the Trump, or rather the trumpery (tawdry finery or nonsense), I say.
By the way, the word "trump" is defined in the dictionary as "a suit the cards of which are declared as outranking all other cards for the duration of a hand." There are at least two levels of irony here. One, of course, is that Trump's neophyte apprentices are playing the "cards" or tempting fate with the ultimate "Trump" card, so to speak. The other irony is that the "Trump" himself is supposed to embody everything that surpasses or outranks everything else.
This Trump card is the crème de la crème; you cannot get any better or higher than him. Actually, the only thing great about Trump is his monolithic-proportioned arrogance. But America reveres the greatness that is a façade for mere arrogance. Trump is not great; he is just a guy with bucks, that is all.
Trump's "Apprentice," is an unintentionally funny, darkly surreal comedy throwback to '80's "me-ism" and materialism that carries an aura of an ersatz pagan ritual or a transmogrified black mass.
Slightly more toned down is Martha Stewart's "Apprentice." However, the slant is the same: capitalistic gain is a sacred, sanctified rite. Martha's office lair, like Trump's, is hallowed ground. However, somehow, Martha does not seem quite as preposterous as Trump. But Martha is certainly no less acquisitive, and she certainly takes herself just as seriously as The Donald does.
Or rather, reality TV's propensity for foisting the false doctrine of arrogant, self-centered materialism is unbelievable.
Check out The Donald on "The Apprentice," who looks sublimely ridiculous wearing his grim pout and making an entrance into his infernally dark inner sanctum sanctorum as though conducting the Holy Inquisition. This Grand Inquisitor of the status quo, with his fiercely immobile moue, sits himself down in the midst of a gallery of anxious, grimacing novice-devotees of the religion of materialism. Dump the Trump, or rather the trumpery (tawdry finery or nonsense), I say.
By the way, the word "trump" is defined in the dictionary as "a suit the cards of which are declared as outranking all other cards for the duration of a hand." There are at least two levels of irony here. One, of course, is that Trump's neophyte apprentices are playing the "cards" or tempting fate with the ultimate "Trump" card, so to speak. The other irony is that the "Trump" himself is supposed to embody everything that surpasses or outranks everything else.
This Trump card is the crème de la crème; you cannot get any better or higher than him. Actually, the only thing great about Trump is his monolithic-proportioned arrogance. But America reveres the greatness that is a façade for mere arrogance. Trump is not great; he is just a guy with bucks, that is all.
Trump's "Apprentice," is an unintentionally funny, darkly surreal comedy throwback to '80's "me-ism" and materialism that carries an aura of an ersatz pagan ritual or a transmogrified black mass.
Slightly more toned down is Martha Stewart's "Apprentice." However, the slant is the same: capitalistic gain is a sacred, sanctified rite. Martha's office lair, like Trump's, is hallowed ground. However, somehow, Martha does not seem quite as preposterous as Trump. But Martha is certainly no less acquisitive, and she certainly takes herself just as seriously as The Donald does.