Politicians and reality shows

U.S. President Barack Obama recently appeared on a television reality show filmed against the backdrop of Alaska. His appearance is designed to send a message about measures against climate change as a major project of his administration.

"You are fired!" Real-estate mogul Donald Trump, the front-running Republican presidential candidate, has made the words popular in his hit TV reality show "The Apprentice." Sixteen applicants have a fierce competition to land a 250,000-U.S.-dollar job at a Trump company. Whenever one competitor loses out, he lets out the remarks. Last month, NBC fired Trump from co-producer and host of the show. Trump`s visceral remarks returned to him as a boomerang.

Trump is successfully appealing to conservative electorate by making derogatory and insulting remarks against ethnic minorities, including illegal Mexican immigrants. Some analysts say that Trump is applying his success in establishing an egoistic and arrogant character to his presidential campaign, meaning that his remarks were thoroughly calculated rather than impromptu.

Starting from PBS`s "American Family" in 1973, American reality shows has been popular since the 2000s. Also in South Korea, many realities shows are gaining popularity. One of the main differences is that while U.S. reality shows focus on ordinary people, the Korean equivalents mostly feature entertainment celebrities. Most viewers are aware that reality shows are not entirely real and that some parts are intentionally set up. Still, the appearances of real people in real situations quickly attract viewers` attention. Obama`s appearance in a reality show with a view to promoting his policy agenda is a case in point. Among those in Korean reality shows, there may be some who aspire to become a politician in the future. At any rate, we need to remember that reality shows are a fantasy situated on the border of reality and fiction.

mskoh119@donga.com