Addicted to Big Brother

A READER WRITES: “i love watching celebrity big brother. does this make me a total dick? I saw the extras christmas special and vowed to never watch it again but it's like a vortex I can't resist hurling myself into. the guilt eats me up every day. when vern leapt into michelles arms and she spun him around my heart leapt! what should i do? what would you do brian barrington?”

BB SAYS: I once knew a woman who used to record the live feed of Big Brother during the night, so that she could watch what had happened the next day! She watched it for hours and hours every day. That was addiction. My impression is that you are not addicted. If you are just watching it for an hour every evening for a couple of weeks, in order to get you through a dark and miserable January, then that is not a major problem.

According to the philosopher Roger Scruton, vicarious experiences (i.e. experiences that are felt or enjoyed through imagined participation in the experience of others) are the enemy of life, the enemy of living a full life. Our media saturated society offers copious opportunities for vicarious experiences and escapism. Examples of vicarious experiences might include: playing computer games; watching professional sports; reading Mills and Boon novels; consuming pornography; reading celebrity magazines; reading superhero comics. These activities offer an escape from real life.

Personally, I think Scruton is being a bit harsh. In moderation vicarious experiences are fine – they can be a good way to relax, especially when life is getting us down. It is when vicarious experiences become excessive, when they start to substitute for real experiences, that you need to be careful that they are not becoming a replacement for the more rewarding, challenging and fulfilling activities that can make you grow as a person.

ART VERSUS FANTASY:

Works of art are, in one sense, also vicarious. But rather than bringing us into a fantasy world, true works of art teach us about reality, and thereby bring us closer to the real. They bring us closer to real life, rather than taking us away from real life. As such, art is challenging, rewarding and fulfilling in a way that many other vicarious experiences are not. Art teaches us how to live. Escapist vicarious experiences help us flee reality into a fantasy world; art brings us closer to reality.

In my opinion, the snobbishness about Big Brother can be a bit much. Big Brother offers the opportunity to watch people and learn about them. People are fascinating. So enjoy watching Big Brother in reasonably small doses - and see if you can learn anything about human psychology while watching.