Charities And Reality TV

Doing Good or Grabbing Ratings?

Relationship Advice Expert April Masini

Advice Seeker: Dear April Masini,

I am in my first year of inner-city teaching with Teach for America. I am in the midst of what it's like to work for a non-profit, for very little money, hoping to make a difference in people's lives. As such, I can't help but be a little bit offended every time I see Brangelina traipsing through another third-world country or watch Ty Pennington screaming his lungs out on Extreme Makeover: Home Edition.

While I'm happy they're bringing awareness to the situation, I also feel that volunteerism and non-profit organizations are being glamorized. What do you think -- is the celebrity interest in charity a good thing or another way to lead us to the delusion that we're making a difference in the world?

Signed,

Just an Average Person

April Masini's advice:

Dear Just an Average Person,

Reality TV is the result of too many cable channels and not enough product. That’s it. People would much rather watch celebrities, but since it’s cheaper for networks to produce shows using real people who don’t charge SAG minimum or require union pension input, the fare is now reality shows. And that includes poor people and the disadvantaged.

Without meaning to seem flip, it’s killing two birds with one stone when network execs produce a show cheaply by using real people, and create a warm fuzzy feeling by donating a home or counseling or a makeover to someone in the meantime. Trust me — it’s all tax deductible. The next time you see a studio exec hand over the keys to his own BMW, give me a ring. That’s newsworthy. And it ain’t gonna happen.

But since business is business, it’s a nice outcome that people are being helped.

Below are the reasons that celebrities are more involved in charity than ever:

1. Celebrities make more money than ever. They have money to give away.

2. More than ever, ours is a celebrity culture. The reason for this is two prong: First of all, technology has provided more outlets for entertainment than ever before. Hardly any teens today can remember when there wasn’t cable television, and there were only a handful of channels to choose from. Now there is cable, satellite and YouTube as well as the internet, television that is broadcast to cell phones and ipods and movies downloaded to the computer as well as watch in your home movies from pay-per-view or Netflix. All this means more celebrity vehicles and more celebrities. This is the first time in history when there is a television genre aimed specifically for B, C and D listed actors and has-beens. With the swell of Surreal Life and Flavor of Love type of shows, new stars just won’t do. Has-beens only need apply.

The second reason this is a celebrity culture is that we have fewer leaders and less moral integrity in our culture than ever before. Everyone is looking for someone to follow. Celebs are looking for an audience. An easier match could not be made.

3. With so much exposure and so much money, celebs have a co-dependent relationship with their audiences. They want to be loved. So, they try and set a good example by giving to charity in order to gain respect and love from the public.

4. Then, there’s the obvious and easily ignored fact — celebs can be extraordinary people who genuinely want to give back to the universe, and find ways to do so — sometimes through charities.

When celebs do lend their name, energy and money to a charity, there is a responsibility implicit to endorse a reputable cause. This is the same as when celebs endorse political candidates. Unfortunately, like other mere mortals, they make mistakes like the rest of us.

Celebs lending their names to organizations definitely help attract attention, and as celebrities know — that is always a good thing.

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April Masini -- nicknamed "the new millennium's Dear Abby" by the media, is author of the best-selling books Date Out Of Your League and Think & Date Like A Man, the two (just released) step-by-step dating and relationship manuals, Ideas for a Fun Date and Romantic Date Ideas, and the critically acclaimed dating and relationship online magazine www.AskApril.com.