Slashdot Mirror
Reality TV "Astronauts" Lift Off
RJG writes "In the latest reality show on British TV, three British "space tourists" last night succesfully blasted off on a five day mission and are currently orbiting the earth 200 miles up. Or so they think. And to forestall the first question. They aren't experiencing weightlessness due to a combination of being in a low orbit (rather than outer space where the weightlessness is) and a few under-floor gravity generators."
Of course the "astronauts" know it's just a show.
Of course they know they're not in space.
What you are witnessing is the first real reality show backlash. The TV programmers have figured out that there are enough gullible people in the world who watch and believe these shows that they can hire a basically competant series of actors who go through the motions of a reality series. Come on, they've been able to study the reactions of reality show participants for months if not years.
The real "participants" in this series are the audience who laugh at "players" they think are stupid enough to believe what they are going through and post messages on blogs and sites like Slashdot being so witty about America not being the only stupid country. The producers can then show all these blogs and the reactions of audience members who they've interviewed before revealing the that the joke is on them.
If you don't want to repeat the past, stop living in it.
At least they're making fun of their stupid people, we tend to put our morons on pedestals.
"Things are more moderner than before- bigger, and yet smaller- it's computers-- San Dimas High School football RULES!"
You obviously haven't seen any Japanese game shows....
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"And may your days be long upon the earth."
I think the whole idea of this program is sick. The gist of it is to laugh at people who think something great is going to happen to them, so that the audience can go "Ha ha" when it turns out they've been had.
On the one side you've got the fact that the physics and economics doesn't work.
On the other side, you have a television companies resources and experience, professional actors, a peer group that all believe what's happening, a sustained attempt to fool these people, a poor education on their part, and the faint glimmer of hope (soon to be extinguished) that something wonderful might actually happen to them.
Shame on the TV company that has rooted out people who didn't get a decent education so that they can pick on them. Shame on the audience who get off on that.
IMHO.
Aide-toi, le Ciel t'aidera - Jeanne D'Arc.