Race, Romance and Reality TV

Code Switch

NPR

Society & Culture

4.6 • 14.5K Ratings

🗓️ 14 August 2024

⏱️ 34 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Reality TV has been referred to as a funhouse mirror of our culture. But even with its distortions, it can reflect back to us what we accept as a society – especially when it comes to things like gender, sexuality and race.
On today's episode we get into all of that, zeroing in on the Bachelorette, but also looking at a dating show that's trying to do it differently.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	On the TED Radio Hour, MIT psychologist Sherry Turkle,
0:04.0	her latest research into the intimate relationships
0:07.3	people are having with chatbots.
0:09.9	Technologies that say, I care about you, I love you, I'm here for you,
0:16.0	take care of me.
0:17.6	The pros and cons of artificial intimacy
0:21.2	that's on the Ted Radio Hour from NPR.
0:24.0	Heads up, there's going to be some salty language,
0:27.0	and we're talking about reality dating TV, which will involve some spoilers.
0:32.0	Hey everyone, you're listening to Code Switch.
0:37.0	I'm B.A. Parker.
0:40.0	Most of my life has been entrenched in reality television, whether it was the real world or Survivor
0:46.2	or Are You Hot, which, yes, was an actual network reality show in the early 2000s.
0:51.6	And this is Are Youinch at the search for America's sexiest people.
1:00.0	Some people may flinch at the genre of reality TV.
1:03.5	It's full of tropes and manipulative editing and ridiculous premises.
1:07.8	I mean, it's been referred to as a fun house mirror about culture.
1:11.6	But in many ways, even with those distortions, it can
1:15.7	reflect back to us new ways of understanding what we accept as a society,
1:20.4	especially when it comes to things like gender, sexuality, class, and race.
1:26.5	So to see a show like The Bachelor, and its extension The Bachelorette thrive in its 22nd year on the air is fascinating to me.
1:36.0	The Bachelorette starts right now.
	...

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