EDITORIAL: MTV ships stereotypes abroad

‘ ‘ ‘ Since its creation in the early 1980s, MTV’s programming has, to say the very least, gone… ‘ ‘ ‘ Since its creation in the early 1980s, MTV’s programming has, to say the very least, gone downhill. Shows like ‘My Super Sweet 16’ and ‘Next’ dominate the network’s airwaves, deserting MTV’s once-faithful music fans and, instead, keeping a horde of 15-year-old girls glued to their seats. ‘ ‘ ‘ In keeping with its terrible reality TV tradition, MTV recently introduced a new show called ‘Exiled!’ The premise? A spoiled and pampered American princess is shipped off to a remote part of the world to live with people who actually work hard to sustain a living. ‘ ‘ ‘ The goal is to try and get these rich and ungrateful kids to shape up, to end their wasteful ways and to understand the value of hard work. ‘ ‘ ‘ In other words, MTV has assumed a new role as a parent to these kids, hoping to punish the children out of the bratty complexes it most likely helped create. ‘ ‘ ‘ Many viewers have criticized MTV on Internet discussion boards for its irresponsibility in representing other countries and people. According to Newsweek, one viewer wrote, ‘They are just fulfilling stereotypes without showing a larger and more accurate representation of Africa,’ referring to the pilot episode, in which a 19-year-old girl is sent to live in a small village in Kenya. ‘ ‘ ‘ Another viewer wrote, ‘It’s offensive and rude and perpetuates the wrong ideas of Americans who know no better. And not even just Africa, but all underdeveloped nations are going to be represented this way on this show. It’s sad.’ ‘ ‘ ‘ Not only is MTV stereotyping the countries on its show, but it is also perpetuating the stereotypes many people around the world have of American teenagers. These kids, as examples of wealth and superficiality, will undoubtedly leave their host countries with a negative impression of the United States as a whole. ‘ ‘ ‘ Executive producer Dave Sirulnick told Newsweek that the program will encourage an understanding of different cultures. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘People will see the dignity they have, the wonderful cultural traditions they have, things that they wouldn’t otherwise see, especially on MTV,’ he said. ‘ ‘ ‘ But by portraying trips to countries like Kenya as punishment and showing mostly negative aspects of the way the people live their lives there, Sirulnick dropped the ball. ‘ ‘ ‘ Newsweek also reported that Sirulnick was unsure about how host families would be compensated for their participation in the program and that MTV’s press spokesmen have not yet released information on the matter. This is worrying and draws attention to the possibility that these families are being exploited for mere entertainment purposes. ‘ ‘ ‘ When MTV was first introduced ‘mdash; albeit before many of today’s college students were born ‘mdash; it was the champion of revolutionizing music, entertainment and American culture as an entity. It was the medium that made music videos popular. And, with early seasons of ‘The Real World,’ it tackled important issues like AIDS, homosexuality and racism. ‘ ‘ ‘ But MTV has quickly gone from being on the forefront of culture to being the lowest common denominator, apparently aiming only to achieve high ratings. ‘ ‘ ‘ Judging by Sirulnick’s words, perhaps MTV is, once more, trying to introduce socially responsible programming with ‘Exiled!’ by addressing the problem of greed and wastefulness evident in the show’s stars. But if this is the case, the network is going about it the wrong way, fueling stereotypes and exploitation in the process.