This House Believes That Reality TV Should Be Banned!

Michael presides: Hi everyone and welcome to the last debate of the school year! Today we’ll talk about reality TV: unscripted situations, apparently real events featuring unknown people instead of professional actors. Frequent interviews with the participants serve as the show's narration, and there is often an emphasis on drama and personal conflict. Competition-based reality shows, a notable subset, often have additional common elements such as one participant being eliminated per episode, a panel of judges, and the concept of immunity from elimination… So now please welcome James and Hadrien who are genuine reality TV actors! And now also welcome Julie who is a total fan of reality shows! We are also delighted to welcome Roch, a journalist who campaigns against trash TV, Agathe who is someone who intensely dislikes the genre, and our special guest, the famous actress Madeleine, who will voice her professional opinion… Beware James!

James is AGAINST: Thanks, fans! Let’s face it: reality TV is just the best way for young people to escape from their "reality"! They need to have a laugh, see the world differently... The settings make them dream: Miami, Ibiza, Los Angeles, Mykonos, etc. There are always beautiful girls and handsome guys, and life is more fun there: parties, nightclubs, alcohol, drugs, sex, fun, fun, and fun!

Hadrien is AGAINST: For me, reality TV is really amazing; everybody watches it! If you’ve seen a reality show in the last 24 hours, shout “Nabila!” There you go! And why are these shows so popular? Because they make us dream! Girls are gorgeous and boys are brawny in TV reality-land, I mean for real, not just when the cameras are on; just look at James! There is lots of sex of course, love sometimes, the girls often throw tantrums, but then that way we get less bored… And we go to incredible parties all the time! It is life as it should be, as you in this room would all like it to be, admit it!

Julie is AGAINST: “Let the sun shine, let the sunshine in!" Life at school is so boring, teachers are so boring, parents are so boring, and life is so boring! I would prefer to live with Hadrien or even James, wear beautiful clothes and sexy swim suits on my perfect body, and go to the beach with all my friends! I would have lots of money and just forget my boring existence. Living in a reality show is living your dream! I could become a body guard, a singer or a top model. Hopes and dreams give meaning  to our lives. When I wear those shoes, and watch her talk, I feel like I am Nabila, my heroine! “Les Anges (de la téléréalité)” is my all-time favorite TV show!

Roch is FOR: Good morning people, I'm Roch Le Cornec. I’m an investigative journalist. One of the things I have looked into real close is so-called “reality” TV shows… Fact: people watch television, too much TV. The government controls society through TV and people are no longer able to think for themselves! Reality TV is a drug: people become hooked on e trivial lives of these second-rate actors and copy their habits and values. It’s pathetic! This trash TV is destroying society! Moreover with SMS votes, the viewer thinks he can control the scene he is watching! But TV reality is not reality… We no longer have any control in the real world!

Agathe is FOR: Yes, it’s Big Brother watching… I am against reality TV shows because they do not reflect reality and everything in them is so false. As far as I’m concerned, watching reality TV allows people not to think about their daily lives. It is entertainment, but it is ridiculous. The candidates are stereotypes, like the “blond girl” or the “nice boy”. Some people follow the episodes religiously and get caught up in the histrionics. The TV channels make their money from the sensationalism.

Madeleine is FOR: Reality TV is like a very bad movie, I mean, it is really the dumbest form of entertainment. You see, the actors pretend to be normal people in “real life” situations? It’s the opposite of what a movie should be! Plus, the “normality” that is depicted is really immoral or amoral; most of the characters are stupid too. The actors are obviously making a lot of money, but is it honestly earned? They have no professional integrity! Their roles are not even funny. But to make people laugh you need talent…