Guilty pleasures are subjective. One person may deem 45 minutes of launching slanderous attacks and vicious rumors as trash and vying for a husband or wife on national television as a brain cell killer. Yet both the "Real Housewives" franchises and "The Bachelor" depict real-life relationships that everyone will inevitably experience. Pejorative terms such as “trash television" should be retired, and guilty entertainment pleasures no longer shameful.
The confrontations between friends, enemies, and frenemies of reality television are demonstrative of how to deal with stressful situations—and how not to. Do you tell someone that they offended you? Or do you disregard your bruised sentiments until they repeat the offense? Although there will be those who flip tables and infamously toss their prosthetic leg to get their point across (the "Housewives" tend to air on the dramatic side), there still remain the characters who deal rationally with their emotions by thinking logically about the ramifications of their actions. Perhaps those who travel the diplomatic route may not generate the most buzz for whichever television program they belong to, but they are considered to be dignified compared to their peers.
Those who view shows on E! and Bravo in unfavorable lights because they believe them to be scripted are blind to the authenticity of family dynamics. Strenuous times for families such as divorce, infidelity, and substance abuse, are not orchestrated storylines to spike ratings. The women on the "Housewives" franchises disclose intimate parts of their lives to the public, which makes themselves vulnerable to scrutiny for having not having left a cheating husband, dealing with illness in their own way, and in the case of Jersey Housewife Teresa Guidice, serving time at Danbury's women's prison for fraud. If someone is faced with challenges with which they have no experience—nor do the people they surround themselves with—it would be beneficial to see how their situations can be handled. The Kardashians may have a lack of talent, but their openness and communicative relationships with the other members of their family is something to be admired.
Educational videos and informative documentaries can spread valuable knowledge, but reality television spreads knowledge of a different kind. "House Hunters," "Million Dollar Listing," and "Shark Tank" make up for what the American education lacks: real-world education. Loans, investments, and mortgages become obsolete vocabulary after being regurgitated on a final exam. Being able to understand basic principles of the real estate industry and entrepreneurship through entertaining and engaging shows can instill responsibility.
Next time you turn on the television or open your Netflix app, know that beyond the Birkin bags and spray tans, there are lessons to be learned.
