A Reality Show about Sensory Deprivation
This coming week we’ll be talking about the effects of sensory deprivation. I was taken aback when I discovered that Fox has a reality SHOW where contestants compete to see who can last the longest in isolation. The winner takes home $50,000.00 (I wonder if 50k will cover one’s medical bills that will result from post-show therapy sessions?).
Sit and ponder this for a moment: a reality show that exposes volunteers to sensory deprivation….
Thoughts?
Judging from what I saw in the assigned BBC documentary on solitary confinement I do not think Fox’s reality show will have a long season.
Evidence for this comes from the study’s participants, in the assigned documentary, who only made it 24 hours, at best, before they started to go nutty.
I am also taken aback that such a show will air. Moreover, it makes me wonder just how hard up for cash these possible contestants are. $50K is a lot of money, but considering what I have learned about total institutions and isolation that amount would not be enough for me to take part in the competition. In fact, I would not participate even if the take-home cash prize was tripled.
I would LOVE this show. I hate being over zealous but I know I could win something like this. It sounds interesting enough to me. Plus I can sleep though anything and I can fall asleep anywhere so the fact that an alarm is going off would not bother me the least. I though it was interesting in the article when the author talked about how show contestants would find peace after the show. Like getting rid of bad friends or focusing more on a job. I have not heard of the show before this, but I am definitely going to look it up and see what it is all about. I think solitary confinement in prison is different because you might get more than 12 days “in the hole” and you definitely do not win $50K after you are done. To me this would be like a vacation, nothing to worry about but getting through 12 days. No emails, no homework, no responsibilities, 12 days $50k here I come…
After reading the article, I thought this TV show has to be pretty dumb. I’m not sure who would want to participate in this, much less, watch the show for entertaining reasons. 50k is a lot of money, but I’m not sure it would be worth it. After watching the Stanford Prison Experiment and learning about solitary confinement from other classes, as well as this one, it seems like it just would not be worth the reward to me. Some people do some pretty crazy things for money, so this does not surprise me at all. I just would not like to see the post psychological effects.
After reading through the article, I couldn’t find myself to ever want to watch this show. 1. The people chose to go into the contest, so they cant even be mad. 2. If its that bad, they have the chance to leave. When your in solitary confinement in prison, they chose when you get out. There is the reality that you cant just get out when you get uncomfortable like in the show. I can see how this situation can still mentally harm the people on the show, which is crazy why they would want to do it. But that is there own personal choices I guess.
Just reading about the “reality” show and some of the things that people were put through made me sick. I couldn’t imagine being stuck inside a cell with all of these things going on. The cell itself didn’t look that bad and solitary confinement inside the cell in the article might not have been that bad; but along with the loud noises and hot temperatures I don’t think i would be able to last very long. After watching the Stanford Prison Experiment and learning about what solitary confinement can do to people there is no way I would every go into a confined cell for extended periods of time. The incentives for partaking in this “reality TV show” do not out way the costs of what might happen to you psychologically once you leave the show.
After watching the BBC documentary in class on solitary confinement, it is evident that solitary confinement can play major tricks on an individual’s brain. In the documentary, all volunteers experienced some sort of mental imperative while in 48-hour holding. The rough part about this reality TV show for the contestants is the option to opt out of competing for the 50k. It spices the show up compared to the ordinary penalty inmates receive while incarcerated. Inmates put into solitary confinement do not get the option of being released from confinement meaning the shows contestants will overcome their personal psyche to win. Personally I would not watch the show due to the fact that I wouldn’t find it entertaining. I also would never personally volunteer to be on the show never knowing when my confinement would come to an end.
I was surprised to see that a show like this even exists. Why would you purposely let people undergo this type of inhumane treatment, as if we don’t have a psychological problem in the United States already. Personally, I think I could very easily do this for 12 days because i have been exposed to similar treatment when I was in basic training. However, I did not enjoy that treatment and I’m also the type of person who doesn’t like to be alone, so I won’t not sign up for this show unless I absolutely needed the money.
The fact that they have a show that treats people like this is crazy. Putting people into these situations make them become crazy. They were perfectly fine and now that you put a cash prize behind it, it will make it better. Their life might be forever changed all because of some “experiment”. We are human being and we should treat everybody like human being. In 12 days, people can change from the nicest person to the most evil person they can be because they were isolated and only could talk to them selves. I don’t think I could do this because I already think to much witch stresses me out and being isolated for 12 days would make me psychotic.
After reading this article and watching the Stanford prison Experiment, I don’t think I would enjoy the show for entertainment purposes. I would probably even get sad watching it, because watching that experiment really put me on edge. I was really sadden by it, how easily those guards got into character and played their roles based off what they thought guards acted like. A Lot of them said they didn’t think they could be so cruel to someone. But i guess you never know how you would treat someone if you were a guard unless you were given the opportunity to be one. Although i would consider being apart of this Solitary Show only for the money., I would think about my school funds, giving back, building a house,starting a trust fund, etc. This would push me to continue with the show. The things that these individuals had to experience is terrifying and i cannot picture myself being involved in anything like that; but if it will help me and benefit me in the end i would take the risk and fight for my life. You have to go through a storm sometimes to end out on top.