Is If You Really Knew Me MTV's Finest Reality Show Ever?
As much as MTV has bludgeoned us with the scripted travails of homogenized cliques (The Hills, Jersey Shore), the network's also done its share of more honest docuseries, like True Life and Made. With If You Really Knew Me, MTV unites members of various crowds in a large high school and gets them to relate. While maudlin moments spring up often, there's plenty of real candor to offset the storyboarded feel we've come to associate with reality TV.
Sure, there's a staginess to the confessionals, but I think If You Really Knew Me's way of bridging cliques is surprisingly un-cloying. The Breakfast Club dynamic works in its favor, even if all the high schoolers I've ever known are apparently more sarcastic than these kids. MTV's challenge now is to make sure this doesn't get old after three episodes. Anyway: I'm the "basket case"!
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I had such unbelievably mixed feelings when seeing this show out of nowhere. I work at a summer camp for youth empowerment through the arts where kids from foster homes, abusive shelters, and inner city youth are given scholarships to join this camp along with any who wish to pay. The 'If you really knew me exercise' is one of many practiced at that camp and although it is nice to see the exposure of this beauty it hurts at the same time. These kids don't have a quarter of the troubles of the kids we use this program for, and being that it is on MTV should tell you right away it is strictly about the Moulah. The kids on this show are the ones at the camp that pay to come. The ones that sit in shock and awe of what they hear from the youth there on scholarship.
What if out of nowhere they flashed to a 14 year old girl who has never spoken more than 2 words at a time and she comes with out with 'If you really knew me you would know I started doing Heroin at 11 and was raped by my uncle at 5, 7, and 11.' As puzzled as I am by MTV putting something even arguably positive on its airwaves I still have to give this a huge thumbs down. I mean in the description of the episode it did say 'in an effort to stop cyber bullying' wow... way to tackle the real issues.
I could ramble much longer but my realest fear is that someone who earnestly needs the awakening this exercise can provide, will see it(on MTV!) and then have its meaning demeaned once they approach camp because they have seen prissy white bitches complaining about how they are insecure about their hair. Or are remorseful about calling their friend names..... Tv is about making money, things that involve the bettering of humanity should be left to less commercially interested parties. Although the counselor with the odd hat, tattooed arms and absurd mustache was a nice touch.... but c'mon he agreed to be on MTV. Validation re-voked. MTV and Viacom(which owns MTV, VH1, Paramount.. and so on) are the pushers of this material expectation and standard of beauty. How can they gain cred for attempting to right something that they were the majority player in creating?
Uhm..Who cares if they signed up for MTV? That's their business. This show is teaching something more, like for teenagers to be nicer to each other! Maybe to stop bullying each other constantly. I'm a teenager myself, and I'm glad this show is out there. Just because these peoples problems aren't as big as the people at your camp or wherever, doesn't mean it's not important. And cyber bullying..really, just because it's not happening in person doesn't mean it's not a problem. It's demeaning. Obviously, it affects each one of these kids, no matter how small. The smallest reasons can make the biggest effects..
Whoa, Lady Gaga got 8 VMA awards last night! I am definitely excited for her wins and I enjoyed that Born This Way piece GaGa sung also.