This was written by Pendulum columnist Nicole Monge.
Like it or not, “Gossip Girl” and “The Real Housewives” series are television programs that have made their way onto our televisions and into our culture.
One of the negative facets of both shows is they tend to teach audiences that manipulating people and stabbing them in the back are practical behaviors for personal gains. These traits and actions can certainly get a person in trouble in corporate America and everyday life. What people don't realize is that the actions of these people occur in fiction in “Gossip Girl” and over petty, unimportant issues in “The Real Housewives.”
In the real world, when tasks are urgent and problems are important, belittling opponents and trying to one-up them by creating cliques and alliances behind their backs only works for so long. Eventually, establishing that kind of culture and persona will have negative results. People begin to see behind this shady facade that has been created and don't particularly like what they see. In “The Real Housewives,” many of the women play both sides of the fence in their social circles by talking badly about one person to a member of the group. They will then form an alliance with another cast member when they talk about the opposite person. In the “The Real Housewives,” when you get caught doing this, there's drama and at worst, a friend is lost within a gated community. In a real job, a person will get fired.
Both of these shows also teach that creating drama is a means of achieving a goal, when in reality, everyday society will not tolerate this behavior. It's a cutthroat world, and there is very little time for petty nonsense. People see right through this drama and demand results rather than excuses.
The real world isn’t a continuation of high school, as these two shows would lead the viewer to believe. In reality, it is the exact opposite. There are jobs and futures at stake. There are real people, not characters blown up to caricature-like proportions by riches and fame.