In 21st century America one can find the behavior of many young men and women offensive. In the good old days gentlemanly and ladylike conduct was the norm and not the exception. But today it would take sustained hard work before one can meet a true gentleman and a nice lady walking down the streets of urban centers like Los Angeles, Chicago or New York. These cities are littered with young men and women who disrespect themselves, their elders and break the law as if murder, drunk driving, and grand theft auto are petty offenses comparable to jaywalking. MTV, the company that can be partially blamed for the upsurge of lawlessness, is trying to come up with a major intervention program and do it in the best way that they know how, which is through reality TV. This intervention program is a two-edged sword, the publicity and the money involved can motivate the contestants but on the other hand the showbiz atmosphere can bring out the deviant and criminal instincts in the said participants to fake it and win without undergoing any significant change from the inside out.
The Evolution
Before going any further it must first be established that indeed there is a negative change with regards to the evolution of men and women. In other words when comparing the behavior of the men and women of the 19th century to the men and women of the 21st century one should be able to point out the major differences. Even a basic knowledge regarding the behavior of people two centuries ago will lead one to conclude that in the past, men and women in the Western World are not perfect and yet they strive to have good moral standing in the community. They labor hard so learn about etiquette and how to become positive contributors to society.
There is no need to have an extensive knowledge of the past. A basic understanding of the culture of Medieval Europe as well as the religious foundations of America will make it easy to conclude that although not all Americans were saints in the 19th century there was a great incentive to behave wisely in public. There was a general understanding that women should behave like ladies and that men should act like gentlemen. This can be seen in the mundane things such as their choice of clothes and in the more significant aspects of community life such as faithfulness to ones spouse as well as the importance of staying chaste before marriage. In today’s world all these “good” things are thrown out of the window.
There can be many reasons and many factors that contribute to the moral decay of America. But an overview of the problem will reveal at least three major factors:
- the advent of the Industrial Revolution;
- the sexual revolution of the 1960s; and
- mass media.
The Industrial Revolution was completed a long time ago but without this economic phenomenon it would be impossible to explain the changes that are occurring in present day America. The Industrial Revolution made it possible for Americans to experience social mobility that was never possible in ancient times and even in the Medieval Ages. But with the drastic changes that were brought about by the mechanization of work and the perfection of assembly lines in manufacturing, it was now possible for Americans to leave rural communities behind and move into cities. It is this detachment from strong communal ties that made it easy for many to shun cultural and religious values as they blend into cities where many do not know each other.
Aside from the Industrial Age a major social transformation occurred in the United States in the aftermath of World War II and especially during the height of the Vietnam War. Many felt betrayed by a country and a system that seems to be indifferent to what people are feeling, whose only concern is selfish policies that do more harm than good, not only to Americans but even innocent civilians living thousands of miles away. In rebellion to the war in Vietnam many young men and women displayed their disgust with the system by openly experimenting with drugs, alcohol and sex in the decade of the 1960s.
It is also during this time when mass media began to emerge as a potent social force that can significantly influence the hearts and minds of the people. Images of war and other social problems were made available to the masses through TV and radio broadcasts. Although radio was also an important medium in news delivery it was the television set that proved to be the more powerful tool for sending graphic messages about the dark side of human nature. In the succeeding decades the TV did not only provide prime time news but entertainment, as well as a host of other audiovisual messages that easily influenced the minds of the young.
The TV set and the booming economic times proved to be a deadly cocktail for the children of America. First of all, the full impact of industrialization can be seen in the need for more factories, more businesses as well as more technical support to sustain the economic juggernaut of America. In the pursuit of the American dream as well as the evolution of the value system of Americans from one that values spirituality and morality to one that values above all the power of money. This contributed greatly to the downward spiral of many broken lives shattered by the negative impact of divorce, extramarital affairs, drug abuse, and rage.
Busy parents, free time and access to money became a terrible combination for young adults growing in America. In viewing the reality show The Girls of Hedsor Hall the first thing that comes to mind is the overly liberated attitude of the girls. There is so much that has been said about freedom of speech and other human rights issues but there is also such a thing as respect for other people. In the very first episode of the said reality show one of the participants did something very shameful when she humiliated herself in public. All of these were the direct result of alcohol abuse as well as the urge to rebel against something that they themselves were unable to articulate.
Solving the Problem
The changes that occurred in the past provided the explanation as to why young men and women of America are more brazen in their rebellion against social norms. Aside from the young women who clearly had no idea how to behave in public as well as the ability to control themselves when it comes to drinking alcoholic beverage and sexual advances of men, there is also another major social problem in America and it is none other than the scourge of gangsters. The behavior of gang members are as deviant as the behavior of the girls going to Hedsor Hall in the United Kingdom but what is more problematic is the link between crime and gang life. It is therefore imperative to take a closer look into this problem and provide a solution.
There can be different ways to solve these two sets of social problems but reality TV is stepping up the plate, to offer their take on things. MTV proposes two radical solutions and they are hoping that their two shows The Girls of Hedsor Hall and From G to Gents can be used as a model to help young men and women of America find resolution to their problems. The show boldly declares that at the end these young men and women will find the capability and the drive to take control of their lives and desire for more discipline in order to strive and provide a better future for their loved ones.
Effectiveness of Intervention
The Girls of Hedsor Hall (“Hedsor”) and From G to Gents (“Gents”) are nothing more than highly complicated means of intervention. Someone has to intervene to save the out-of-control women as well as offer help to the hopeless gangsters and goons that were handpicked to join the show hosted by Fonzworth Bentley. The question in the minds of the audience is whether this method of intervention is effective or not. In order to answer that question there is a need to look closely into the methodology employed by the creators of Hedsor and Gents.
In Hedsor misbehaving women were given the shock treatment when they were taken out of their comfort zone and flown to the United Kingdom where they would attend a “finishing school” for young women. It does not require a rocket scientist to figure out that this school is only accessible to well-off families in Britain and that it is truly a privilege for many of them to be given free training and education in this very prestigious and expensive institution. By bringing them out of their comfort zones it is understood that they will not be able to resist the pressure that will be applied on them by the people who are running Hedsor Hall. But aside from the environment and capable teachers, the intervention methodology also provides monetary incentives for those who will be able to survive the challenges and be proclaimed as the winner at the end of the season.
The same strategy is used in Gents. The producers of the show chose Fonzworth Bentley to be the role model for 12 men. Just like in the Hedsor set-up he is the role model that helps motivate the contestants to go the extra mile. Bentley is the best man for the job because he seems to look like a G who was able to become a true Gentleman. The first batch of applicants to the Gentlemen’s club will need all the inspiration that they can get because from the look of things it seems impossible that anyone could successfully hurdle the challenges given to them. The members are not only gangsters in their demeanor but also have the mindset of criminals eager to break the law in order to get something that they do not deserve. They also display lack of self-control for they cannot control their appetites.
From the onset there are obvious flaws to the design of the intervention program created by Hedsor and Gents. First of all, the intervention program is not done in closed doors where the contestants are given the opportunity to fully reflect on their behavior and to find that inner resolve to change. Reality TV is difficult to analyze because one has to walk in the shoes of the contestants in order to fully understand what they are going to. Yet still, it does not require an expert to realize that a camera crew, microphones and camera lights can bring out the actor instead of the real person.
There is the danger that the contestants are not really serious in making drastic changes and that they are only doing what they think is pleasing for the producers as well as the audience. If one will factor in the $100,000 prize money it is hard not to think that they are only in this thing for the monetary reward and not because they are concerned with their lives, the welfare of their children, their parents and their partners. When the camera light is on it would be extremely difficult to find out what is acting and what is real life drama.
Another major flaw of the intervention program is the time element involved. A personal transformation requires time. For some people it will take years to break a bad habit. If one can ask a former drug addict or a former alcoholic it would be safe to assume that they would testify of a long battle with their addiction and that a long time is needed to wrestle with their demons so to speak. In the two shows mentioned earlier there is simply not enough time to process all the things that they needed to learn. There is also not enough time to deal with all the root causes of their problems.
In Hedsor for instance, most of the women are struggling with alcohol addiction and their destructive tendencies when they have too much alcohol in their system. Some of them are struggling with sexual addictions and the inability to control their lust and appetites. These problems could not be dealt with in a few weeks time. Even if the intervention program seems to be working a follow-up program is needed to ensure that “patients” did not experience any relapse. If there are setbacks in the treatment process then they must start from the very beginning. In other words, time is needed to eradicate bad behavior as well as flush out all the harmful concepts and belief systems that are clogging their hearts and minds. This is almost impossible in the short span of time given for each contestant in the two reality TV shows.
Finally, the most glaring flaw is the nature of the intervention program which is to force each person seeking help to compete with each other. In a drug rehabilitation program it would be better if all the drug dependents help each other instead of trying to pull each other down. In this type of facility it makes no sense why drug dependents would like to outsmart one another since they are all desperately seeking help. In the two TV shows the only way to get help is to hope that others would fail in their quest for self-transformation. This is a problem that still has to be resolved by MTV if indeed this organization is serious in helping others and not simply trying to make a ton of money by using the miserable lives of 12 young men and women.
Conclusion
There is no major evidence to support that Hedsor and Gents have the right tools to transform young men and women into true gentlemen and ladies. A truly critical approach will beg for more tangible proof that the two shows were able to accomplish what their respective producers wanted to bring about in the beginning of the program. For the sake of argument one can consider the case of the winners. They have $100,000 dollars and at the same time fame – both can generate more money in the months and years to come. But this ability to generate wealth does not answer the main question: Did the show produce gentlemen and ladies out of drunkards and gangsters? The answer is no.
MTV’s intervention program failed because first of all there was really no serious attempt to help the contestants. Surely, there was seriousness in the showbiz aspect of reality TV, especially when it comes to creating a show that is highly-entertaining. Without a doubt many viewers were hooked and they could not afford to miss one single episode. Surely, the producers of show made a ton of profit with a hit show that exploited the miserable lives of the contestants. Surely a great number of viewers tuned in each week as they felt compassion for the con artist who desperately wanted to be a good father to his two-year old daughter. But on the other hand the more wary viewers are skeptical, not sure where the intervention program ends and where the business of making money from reality TV begins.