The American Drea.... Idol

Not being an avid watcher of Television, I was at a bit of a loss about how to proceed with this assignment as I am not familiar with the usage of popular bands in advertising and have never seen an episode of a reality television show. However, the way I have decided to proceed is as that of an outsider looking in on the reality TV craze. I will attempt to show that, at first glance, the reality show American Idol seems to propagate the American Dream, but upon closer inspection is actually an exploitation of this dream to create entertainment for the masses and extra zeros in the bank accounts of executives.

In attempting to demonstrate the correlation or lack thereof between American Idol and the American dream, we must first define our terms. The American Dream is the social ideal that a person of humble beginnings is able to raise their economic and social standing through hard work, friendliness, and dedication – an ideal not available in many societies throughout the world.

On the surface, American Idol appears to be a way of attaining this dream because it offers unknown musicians and those holding aspirations of grandeur an opportunity to rise and become a star performer in the mainstream of American culture. This seems to fit the definition of the American Dream because it offers a way to rise from humble beginnings to stardom simply overnight (or over the course of 24 weeks or however long the season runs).

America has been a draw for many people from many parts of the world for over 400 years because of the freedom offered in this land and the ability to rise above humble beginning and “make something of themselves.” And American Idol offers a shortcut to doing just that. The show welcomes many contestants to tryout to see if they have the musical ability to make it on the show. It draws hundreds of thousands of would-be stars to open themselves up to humiliation for the purpose of entertainment. However, the prize is that one lucky (and presumably talented) person will be named the winner, given a record contract, and made a superstar.

I believe this whole process is an exploitation of the American Dream. The television network is pandering to the peoples’ desire to be stars and uses this desire to fill their own pockets with the proceeds of the popularity of this enterprise. There is an empty offer of stardom for all but one person. The American Dream, in my mind, is not to simply go from rags to riches, but to achieve success in life by one’s own effort. In this sense, the one who inherits a large sum of money from the proverbial rich uncle has not achieved the American Dream, but has simply benefited from charity. In the same sense the winner of American Idol does not give someone the fulfillment of the American Dream, but uses their humiliation for the purpose of entertainment and financial gain.

As critical as I have appeared to be in this post, I do fully understand that the people who are being “used” in this process have willingly made themselves available to be so. So, I criticize and speak rather negatively of this program, but realize it is fully accepted as a part of our culture and as a legitimate source of entertainment. ( a source which I have not participated in for some reason). 