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Untitled
Part two of Infidel Interview
(Part one appears here.)
RTVF: Many of the people on the Web have made similar
comments about not knowing anyone in their non-Web life that
watches the reality TV, which is why they migrated to the
Internet. What kind of impact do you think the Internet has had on
the popularity of these shows?
B.A.: That's hard to say. Obviously, the Web provides a forum to
discuss every conceivable interest with people all over the globe,
but it's hard to estimate how much this affects the number of
people who share a given interest. My hunch is that these shows
would take hold with or without the Internet, but the Internet may
very well speed up certain processes. In fact, going back to one
of the more inane incidents: When Jamie chose to see the
casting director over her mother on "Big Brother," the producers
milked it for all they could with person-on-the-street reactions, but
they did it a whole week later on the following live broadcast. The
Internet, though, had already been abuzz with reactions (silly
ones, in my opinion) the very same night as the original incident.
So the Internet basically helped along and expanded on what
would have happened anyway.
RTVF: You're writing a play based on the Big Brother show called
'Hot House'. How did you do research for the show and why do
you think this will appeal to people?
B.A.: To clarify, "Hot House" is the title of the show within the
play. The play itself is called "Jocelyn." Since "Survivor" was
nearly over and "Big Brother" was well into the season when I
started work on it, I relied heavily on episode summaries on the
web, both official and unofficial. I also watched a few weeks' worth
of "Big Brother." Now, as for appeal, it's anybody's guess what
appeal any play will have to anybody, but I'm hoping enough
people are curious about the RTV phenomenon, beyond being
under its spell, to spend and evening with a play that makes a
statement about what the concept really is.
RTVF: You've been called a hypocrite for expanding on the reality
TV genre with your play, perhaps even treating the public that
watches the shows the same
way that the fans have been accused of treating the contestants
on the shows themselves. What do you have to say in response?
B.A.: Well, let's take that in two parts, the part that has some
validity and the part that just sounds silly to me. The valid part is
that any kind of criticism of something has the potential to
encourage it. There are lots of instances where the best publicists
for a movie or an art exhibit are its protesters. In this instance,
though, I think I'm taking something that already has all the
publicity it needs, and trying to dampen the public enthusiasm by
showing how sick it is. Now, I have to quickly add that it would be
silly for me to talk of affecting the public at all, because I'm an
Off-Off-Broadway playwright, which means that, as I currently set
up this four-day staged reading in a 50-seat space, I can count
myself lucky if that leads to a three-week production in a 99-seat
house. I'm at the level where the main source of audience is the
actors' friends and my own friends. Oh, and by the way, if anyone
wants to charge me with using the reality TV fan forums to drum
up publicity for my play, I'll jump right up and say "Guilty, Your
Honor!"
Now, on the suggestion that I'm doing to fans what they do to
contestants. Well, if I were singling out any one fan by name to
be a character in my play, we might have a comparison. My play
criticizes a broad behavior pattern and people who engage in it; I
don't think there's a risk that a reality TV fan will see my play and
come out of the theatre a broken spirit barely able to face the
world again, a danger that I do think reality TV contestants face.
And as for criticizing fans in general, I see the role of the artist in
general as including a social critic role. I mean, sure, there are
plays that just give the audience a laugh, and I've written that kind
too, but when I see something happening in my society that
bothers me, I think writing a play to express that is, in essence,
my job. I would have been away from my sentry post called
Artist-As-Social-Critic if I had not written "Jocelyn."
RTVF: When will your play be opening, and where?
B.A.: To start with, we're having a fully staged reading at the 42nd
Street WorkShop, 432 W. 42nd St., 5th floor (walk-up), in New
York City, on June 7-9 at 7:30 p.m. and June 10 at 3:00 p.m.,
with a suggested donation of $8. See
http://www.geocities.com/newyorkplaywright/jocelyn.html and
http://www.the42ndstreetworkshop.com . Beyond that, who
knows? I'm certainly submitting it around, and hoping that this
company will give it a larger-scale production later on.
RTVF: You visited reality TV message boards as part of your
research. Was the play already an idea, or did it come about after
visiting the boards?
B.A.: I knew I wanted to write a play on the subject months
earlier, and the main source for the story was what I learned
about the actual episodes. But, the message boards added color
and dimensions. There's a message board in my play,
represented by four actors getting up and reciting the messages.
RTVF: If the Internet message boards didn't exist, would the
premise of the shows still upset you, or is it the reaction from
viewers that bothers you most?
B.A.: The message boards gave me supplemental information,
but the concept horrified me long before I had seen any of these
boards.
RTVF: How has your presence and views been received on
message boards around the Web? Were you surprised at the
reactions?
B.A.: I've mellowed out a little, and as I have, reactions to me
have mellowed too. I used to write posts with headers like "You
people amaze me, you really do," especially when I saw the
feeding frenzies on Jamie on "Big Brother." But when I put a bit of
restraint and diplomacy into my depictions of why people watch
these shows, I'm very well received. And, when I call myself Infidel
In The Temple, hey, at least I know my own name. And yes, I
was a little surprised at the friendly responses, which partly tells
me that fans of these shows have some questions of their own
about what it is that they're really fans of.
RTVF: I think you may be giving some people too much credit for
knowing what an Infidel in the Temple is. (laughs) I admit to being
one that went on the defensive with some of your first posts,
because it seemed you were attacking the fans the same way
you accused the fans of attacking the contestants. Is that part of
why you mellowed, and if not, what was the reason?
B.A: Well, on another message board, you mentioned that you
were looking for editorial writers for a new fan board you were
setting up, and as a pure wisecrack, I wrote, "I'll write your
editorials." Weeks later, I was going through old posts for
curiosity, and I happened to find that you had answered me, "If
you're serious, I'd
be honored." I think, from there, I started thinking, "Yeah, why
not? Why not?" I started to like the community, even if it was a
community that had formed over something I found horrifying.
RTVF: Many people would say to you - change the
channel.What's your response?
B.A.: Well, that's what I do when all that's at issue is quality of
entertainment, a matter of personal tastes. For me, it's a matter
of being critical of this social phenomenon. I regard reality TV as
a social problem, and one that has victims, even if the victims are
people who have cheerily signed themselves up for it.
RTVF: Would you agree that reality TV has people on
it that others look up to? Is the balance uneven?
B.A.: Oh sure, and even there, I think it's questionable how
healthy it is. I mean, the whole process of making heroes and
villains out of ordinary people who have
gone on a TV show is part of what I consider to be
commodification, and I think the commodification of people is
unhealthy. And sure, alumni from these shows will use their fame
to support good charitable causes, but I think there are still better
ways to do it.
RTVF: Do you think long-term harm could come to any of the
contestants?
B.A.: I consider it an absolute guarantee that, out of every year or
two of these shows, especially the way they’re proliferating now
and getting worse, at least one person will be very seriously,
irreparably damaged from the experience. You can expect to see
the occasional suicide, the occasional nervous breakdown.
Effects on others will be more subtle. And sure, most of the RTV
alumni I've seen are riding high on the fame, but they won't all be
so lucky.
RTVF: Would you say that that any person this happens to holds
the brunt of responsibility for their actions, or is the producers or
the general public?
B.A.: I'd say, the producers hold the lion's share of the blame for
creating the conditions that they knew perfectly well would
sometimes cause this. After that, I'd say it really depends. When
the general public has a feeding frenzy on somebody, I think
they're allowing the fact that they're in large company to give them
license to be cruel; in the social psychology textbooks it's called
"diffusion of responsibility." As for the contestants themselves, I
think they made a bad choice going on there, but the appeal is
understandable and, I keep saying, especially when a show is
new, they only know what they're getting themselves into up to a
point.
RTVF: We know you wish this genre didn't exist, but since it
does and looks like it will be around for awhile, do you have any
other plans besides your play to protest?
B.A.: Well, I've got a letter being printed in the May 14 issue of
Time magazine. I'm not sure, beyond that. I don't see myself
leading street demonstrations. Maybe I'll get an idea for an even
better play. Meanwhile, I'll certainly post my opinions on the
message boards. This Infidel will be haunting the Temple for at
least a while longer.
RTVF: Well you've certainly made a lot of us, the fans, think
about our actions and reactions. Even though your goal is see
these shows meet a timely demise, have your opinions changed
in any way from anything anyone has expressed in defense of the
shows?
B.A.: Still think they're sick. Sorry, folks.