The Truman Show Blog 1

The Truman Show

Blog 1

Galina Rolf

 

                        The Truman Show was released in 1998. The movie is meant to be a warning to viewers as to how much power the Television watching public has given the media. The movie makes the case that the power of the media is many times used unethically and unwisely. Even though the power that the media holds has been given to them by the viewers it often times influences the lives of the viewers, actors, and innocent participants in a negative way.  The Truman Show exemplifies the problems with media when it is run by ratings and is devoid of morality.  It shows how the viewing public changes its perceptions and expectations of life. Certainly there are positive aspects of the media but the Truman Show was an example of media power and greed “gone wild”.  The media plays a big role in American society, culture, and values.  The media also affects how other countries perceive the United States and how people in the United States perceive other countries and cultures. The reality T.V. shows such as the Truman show require financing to produce and the media finds sponsors, so not only are the producers of  television and movies promoting certain perceptions they are promoting the products that finance their shows.  Archeologists of the future could glean from watching Television that most of the men in American society are having difficulties with impotence and need male enhancement drugs to improve their performance, women require the perfect color for their hair to remain attractive, and that the children in our society must have the latest gadgets to be happy and successful. The mass media has a tremendous almost scary effect on the public and yet censorship and restriction of content among programing presents other problems such as restricting the freedoms our forefathers fought for. Where is the line public pleasure in viewing and private abuse of innocent individuals?  Recognizing that The Truman Show was an exaggeration of the evils of the media there was still enough truth in it to warn the viewing public and those employed in media to evaluate their actions and question their ethics.

            In the Truman Show, the main character, Truman Burbank and his life becomes a reality television show that is shown throughout the globe. Burbank’s distorted reality begins at birth continues through childhood and adulthood. During this time Truman is continually monitored on camera for the entire world to see.  Truman is loved superficially by the public but all of the important people in his life are actors and producers.  For Truman there is no free will or free choice his life is manipulated and contrived.  The viewing public takes pleasure in this show because Truman’s life is “perfect”.  They do not question the morality of the show because it gives them pleasure and a sense that they are part of raising a child who is living the perfect life.  It never occurs to them that Truman will one day be confronted by the fact that not one person in his life actually loves him and that his entire life is a life.  This is not only gross imposition on the privacy of his life but an abuse perpetuated by the media and the viewer.  The producers appear to only be concerned about themselves, their jobs, and the money that they make.  The viewers are concerned about their entertainment and Truman the Television personality.  All of the players have their own agenda and virtually none care about Truman the person. Burbank’s has no clue of what is happening behind the scenes, while he goes on with his life. This is the moral and ethical line that the public and the media producers cross. Everyone profits in Burbank’s life except Truman.  He has lost all of his rights as a human being while the rights of the public to exercise right of free speech ect. is protected.   The warning to all is that it should not be permitted to exploit one for the benefit and profits of others. Most people would recognize that the murder of an individual on television for profits and ratings is unacceptable.  What happened to Truman was the murder of a life without the violence.

            So, where is the line between what the public can ethically expect from people in the public eye and what should remain private? All make choices and decisions in our daily life, while surrounded and influenced by varieties of media.  Celebrities such as Movie stars, Pop artists, politicians and professional athletes are a part of the media and public scrutiny but the public does not own these people and does not have the right to exploit them as people.  In every single report that a journalist makes or communicates to the public he or she must ask am what I am doing ethically correct.  As United States Citizens a few years ago we came very close to watching filming an execution.  I was very glad that The Timothy McVeigh execution was not televised although the details were reported almost gleefully it is definitely crossing an ethical line to record it. Relating small bits of personal news like telling the world that Jennifer Lawrence’s owns a cute pet on the E-news is acceptable. Reporting about the crooked dealings or the unfaithfulness of a politician is acceptable because it protects the public from the misdeeds of those that are governing them. Media in general is responsible to the public to maintain the honesty and ethical purity expected of the celebrities and politicians they report on. all for show. Truman Burbank’s life was absolutely public to the eye of the world without his consent or knowledge this is an ethical violation of the worst kind.

            In addition to what is public versus what is private, where are the borders between real life, and what is actually a performance? Truman Burbank’s life throughout the movie was surrounded by performance; even though he seemed like he was involved in living he was being manipulated for the camera and used for personal and private gain of all. camera The reality of The Truman Show was that people watched and felt a part of Truman’s plastic life. The whole of the scenes, and places, that Truman thought was real was fake reality. Burbank was being used to actually live in a show by people that wanted him to be the main star for their productions, add to their accomplishments, and perpetuate their achievements by creating a show that wasn’t a show at all but the destruction of a person.  It was not until the public saw the destruction that they cause that they developed a weak conscience and yet the media behind the façade continued until they had no choice but to recognize how truly corrupt they were in the exploitation of Truman Burbank.  Journalists, producers, and those that we have entrusted in reporting the events around us and providing us with entertainment have a responsibility to realize when they are invading a person’s privacy and when they are reporting/producing newsworthy information.  All of their work should be done considering ethics/ morality first and personal gain, accomplishment, and achievement second.