The Famuan

Issue date: 2/18/08 Section: Opinions

Reality television viewers experience a barrage of personalities ranging from calm and collected to extreme and outrageous - all with the purpose to entertain them. Viewers seem to forget that the participants in these shows are real people.

Many of these people give up lucrative careers, or leave college to seize the opportunity of fame. It's amazing that some viewers believe Florida A&M University alumni who go on reality shows like "Flavor of Love" are merely wasting their time and making a mockery of the education they received at FAMU.

Going onto a reality TV show after graduating is more rewarding than working as a shift manager at some fast food restaurant.

Some of these people have ulterior motives or simply make the most out of their experience when they go on these shows.

Let's take for example, the egotistical Omarosa Manigault-Stallworth from Donald Trump's reality television show "The Apprentice."

She was one of the most hated contestants and was fired, but then she was invited back to appear on the show in the decision-making process for finalists. Later, she even appeared on the Oprah Winfrey Show, NBC soap opera "Passions," Vh1 reality show "The Surreal Life" and other massive public outlets.

Dedicated and career-hungry reality show participants can take their 15 minutes of fame, and apply publicity initiatives to begin a decent, if not lucrative, career in the television industry.

It's wrong for anyone to condemn people for participating on these shows, even if they are making a fool of themselves. At the end of the day, you're sitting at home being entertained.

They sacrificed their dignity to captivate you with their personality and mesmerizing behavior.

As a viewer, you can't be too much better than the person on the show because you're watching it. At least some of these people have a plan and their 13 weeks of fame will go further than someone's moaning, groaning and grunting about what they're doing on the screen or why they've made the decision to be on it.

People should spend more time pursuing what they want to do in life without worrying about what people think. These so-called ignorant reality show participants certainly are.

Mark Taylor II is a senior public relations student from Toledo, Ohio. He can be reached at taylor2_m@yahoo.com.