Stardate 20030219.0805

(On Screen): Candid Camera was an interesting program; they would set up an unusual situation and film ordinary people's reaction to it. One stunt I remember was that they removed the engine from a car, and had a woman driver roll it into a gas station and complain about engine troubles. The reaction of various service station attendants when they opened the hood, and then tried to explain to the driver (who was deliberately obtuse) was priceless.

But there was always a sense of restraint; of good humor. The situations they set up were never ones which would terrify people; only surprise them.

On the other hand, in the ever desperate search for ratings in a declining television audience, modern "reality programs" have been going to ever greater lengths, and eventually it's going to end in tragedy. Actually, it already has: one of those strange interview shows ("Morrie Jesse Donahue" or some such thing) invited a guy to be on the show by telling him that he had a secret romantic admirer who wanted to meet him. So he did show up, and then discovered that his romantic admirer was a homosexual man. He was mortified.

And later he shot that secret admirer and killed him. And was tried for it. And is rotting in prison.

But in their quest of ratings, reality TV marches on. This time a program set up a woman in Los Angeles by having a couple of guys invite her to a party, and then pretend to stall the car out in the desert where they were acosted by a "space alien" (an actor in a costume). The two guys pretended to be injured and urged her to flee into the desert, scared to death, chased by the alien, with hidden TV cameras filming it all for our delighted viewing.

What if she'd been carrying a gun? What if, instead of fleeing into the desert, she'd pulled out a .38 semi-auto and pumped the "space alien" full of holes? Likely she'd have ended up on trial (even if she had a concealed-carry license) but I think that would be wrong. In such a case, it would be the show producers who should end up in prison. But imagine the ratings when they can show a killing-in-self-defense in prime time! Filmed from multiple camera angles! Wow!