Ditch the Rubbish by Telling Constructive Stories about Society

Ever since I came to the University of Tampa, I have been observing American society and contrasting it with my own.

There have been things about America I have preferred and things that I have severely disliked.
Amongst the things I have disliked is the inability to tell your own story.

Everything in America seems to be extreme compared to everywhere else in the world, and the desire to conform, here, is extreme.
Even rebelling against society is a sort of conformity. I have never experienced that anywhere else.

In every society in the world there are things that prevent us from living the lives we envision for ourselves: family, economic problems, tradition, religion, health, all the usual suspects.
Coming from living in Kenya, Tanzania and Zimbabwe, I have been disappointed by the stories Americans choose to live out in their society.

All you have to do to see the stories that Americans choose to put out into their society is turn on the television.
Entertainment is a method of story-telling, and it irritates me to no end that Americans use such a powerful tool to tell such destructive stories.

Sure, people who try and justify some of the rubbish on TV say its only a minority of the population that really lives like this. Thus, it is not the whole American story that is being portrayed. So my question is, why? Why show that story? Is entertainment more important here than the values we choose to instill?

Take shows like The Bad Girls Club, Jersey Shore and 16 and Pregnant.
The Bad Girls Club is a show that tells the story of Americans in the form of belligerent, violent young women who are constantly getting themselves into trouble.

These young women have no respect for their own bodies, for others or for public property.

This show tells a story that glamorizes violence and destructive behavior in American society. It is the show that legitimizes that sort of behavior as a desirable trait for a young woman. What happens when, as a result of this story, young teenage girls are influenced to grow up and behave in such destructive, despicable ways?

Can you say it’s “just entertainment” when it filters into your everyday lives, affecting them negatively?
Jersey Shore is another show that I believe depicts stories that are detrimental to society.

They, too, feature characters who practice belligerence, don’t do much to contribute to society, “whore around” with each other and create meaningless conflicts to detract from the lack of value that their lives have on a daily basis.

Tons of young people watch Jersey Shore and admire the characters portrayed on it like Snooki and “The Situation.” As a result, I believe more young people will believe it’s okay (I say this knowing that Gasparilla coming) to behave like that or that it will earn them some sort of admiration from their friends.

Are those the sort of people we want to be influencing the future leaders of your nation?
If they are, the future is bleak.

16 and Pregnant is the one I personally think is most detrimental. It brings to the floor stories that do not help to improve society in any way.
Stories that, in my opinion, people should keep to themselves.

Pre-teens and other teenagers watch those shows and think it is glamorous to be pregnant at the age of 16 now.
It doesn’t give an issue that is damaging to our society the proper respect that it deserves.

America should be working on decreasing teenage pregnancy rates, not turning reckless, foolish teenagers into celebrities.
Story-telling is a very powerful tool that should be used to improve and inspire society.

We should not take this beautiful art-form and turn it into a way to legitimize the lapses in our society.
America thrives on being the supposed leader of the world in all fields; who will want to allow a society to lead it if it can’t even lead itself?

Philippa Hatendi can be reached at phatendi@spartans.ut.edu.