So this week, I pretty much chained myself to my table to try and do some more work… and inevitably failed. It’s been a long road of procrastination.

Tonight’s blog entry will not be a rant on excessive workloads, but has been inspired by the curious creation that is Big Brother - yes, I was shocked too to find that its still out there!

Watching the first few minutes of it a couple of days ago had me thinking, why on earth are people so fascinated with this show? Its pretty much watching people sleep half the time, and the other half is nonsense! But before I condemned it to the depths of hades, I paused, stepped back and decided not to be to haste in my loathing (still couldn’t help cringing at many points though). After some thought and with a little help from a friend and alcohol fuelled rambling, I came to the very obvious conclusion that its because we are exceptionally curious creatures. No matter how much you may deny it, you love knowing what other people are doing and this show just takes advantage of it. Its a different form of peeking into your neighbours garden to see if their roses are prettier than yours - but instead of peeking, you have an entire surveillance system installed, so essentially its spying with permission. Its not exactly everyday life, but thats what makes its even more entertaining! The theatrics, the cringe worthy moments, the mind numbing conversations they have and the feeling of braincells giving up just sucks you in eventually. Its like an exceptionally gruesome part of a movie where you don’t want to see the gore and all that jazz, but you just can’t look away! We can hate and complain and snub the show all we want, but in the end - you’ll eventually have to admit that YOU are Big Brother! Thats right, I went there.

We’re constantly finding ways to essentially stalk and watch what people we know (or would like to know) are doing. Facebook, Twitter, Youtube all part of your own personal Big Brother surveillance system. We say we don’t care what so and so are doing with their lives and yet we refuse to defriend them or we continue to follow them - once in a while taking a sneaky look on their profile - or sneer at some video they’ve shared thats not to your own taste. Little stalker! Yeah, you know you do it! But don’t feel too guilty, you’re not alone afterall.

Alright, we can completely hate on shows like Big Brother, Jersey Shore, etc. because we find it offensively idiotic. But its entertainment that understands this mass desire to watch people, its merely taking advantage of our own slightly creepy behaviour - well done, I guess? If you’re not a fan, then don’t watch and don’t get angry at those who do enjoy the nonsense on telly! Its entertainment - to each his own!… Just be glad that people aren’t watching and stalking you, and when they are - at least you’ll be comforted by the idea that you’ve filtered your Facebook page to show yourself in the most flattering light possible :)

Big Brothers watching and so are you.

-H.G