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High School Drop-Outs Could Soon Be MTV Reality Stars

Jun. 23, 2011 6:08am Tiffany Gabbay

Remember when MTV used to play music videos by talented, legendary artists – artists who actually looked unique from one another, who wrote their own lyrics and even played their own instruments? Well, anyone who can knows those days are ancient history. In fact, today’s generation probably doesn’t even know what the “M” in MTV stands for.

Instead, the network is best associated with reality TV, and it makes sense, really, as MTV was the first to introduce the genre to the impressionable minds of America’s youth nearly two decades ago, with its first “reality-based” program, The Real World. But even now looking back, that show — which explored social taboos and seemed to push the envelope so far — absolutely pales in comparison to seeing the debauched faces of Snooki and the “Situation” as they troll the Jersey shore for cocktails, tanning beds, and the affection of fellow “guidos” and “guidettes.”

Still, despite the apparent lack of “substance” in MTV’s distinct brand of programming, executives at the network are continuing to ride the reality wave, forever in search of the “next big thing.” And this time, according to one report, it might just be a show about high school drop outs. Fortunately for network, there’s no shortage of potential cast members — some who might even drop out of school just to be eligible — as they clamor for their fifteen minutes of fame.

ABC reports on MTV’s “exploratory” casting for the potential show:

The MTV casting call, which has been paired with a “mini-resource fair” put on by the College of Lake County in Waukegan, Ill., and PASS, Positive Alternative Student Services, offers potential reality TV stars “options” for completing their educations and finding jobs.

Now one might argue, that attending a casting call for high school drop-outs in order to explore educational “options,” seems antithetical to a would-be reality star’s obvious mission.

Eighteen-year-old Maria Alvarez of Waukegan plans to attend the casting call Friday. Alvarez dropped out of school last February, saying that family problems were distracting her from her schoolwork, and she started skipping classes.

“I thought, ‘What am I doing in school?’” Alvarez said. “I didn’t care.”

Months later, Alvarez regretted her decision and realized she did not want to work in a fast-food chain for the rest of her life. When she heard about MTV’s casting call, she saw it as the perfect opportunity.

With channels broadcast in over 160 countries and a line-up of shows that many believe glorify drunkeness, promiscuity and overall reckless behavior — including the Jersey Shore, Jackass, Teen Mom, 16 and Pregnant, and Tila Tequila – the pervasive force of MTV has graced, or, some might say dis-graced the world’s airwaves with programs scientifically shown to “impair” people’s “cognitive performance.”

Ironic, coming from the network that once censored Cher for being too risqué.

Below is a video from the ABC report, exploring MTV’s many incarnations:

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Comments (103)

Rightsofman
Posted on June 23, 2011 at 2:39pm
So when will “entertainment” get so low that we start having gladiator fights to the death in Giant Stadium preceded by throwing a few Christians or Jews to lions as a warm up show? How about orgies in the stands between acts. Yes I can visualize it now.

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BubbaT
Posted on June 23, 2011 at 2:09pm
Parents that allow their kids watch this crap should be brought up on charges. Seriously. This is everything that is wrong with America today.

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Onemanclan
Posted on June 23, 2011 at 2:06pm
When drunk Wh**res and high school dropouts become role models for our young people, you know we are in deep deep trouble. I’m in shock with what I see on a daily basis.

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BubbaT
Posted on June 23, 2011 at 2:05pm
MTV should stand for More Trash Video.

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bruce_baker
Posted on June 23, 2011 at 2:02pm
Anything at all that will drag down our culture is supported. They HAVE to lower our moral standards. The Fabian Socialists on the March!

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Workforit
Posted on June 23, 2011 at 1:33pm
I want to take a different angle to this story…

I don’t know if any of you remember this but school sucked! I was bored to tears, my teachers were bored to tears. Pretty much the biggest thing I went to school for was to socialize. I had six months to go until graduation and had “skipped” just enough class to be one credit short. I had a job and my boss at the time said he would give me a full time position immediately after I received my GED. You didn’t have to tell me twice… I dropped out, passed my GED test the next day and never looked back.

That was 1981. Through the 80′s, I had a series of “young buck” jobs that paid rather well…A guy could live on 35 to 50k a year back then. From beer truck driver to bartender, lumber yard counter sales to motorcycles, snowmobiles and atv sales. Then I made my biggest mistake ever. I got married… But out of that train wreck I had a couple of kids and became a single Dad with custody. I needed a job with greater flexibility. I spent the next 15 years as a mortgage broker. Loved it! I made more money than half the attorneys I knew, with no school loans to repay. Now is a different story but the game is far from over, for me.

My point being many if not most “drop outs” become self taught, successful members of society.

Maybe, just maybe if we worked on making public education more interesting than MTV…

Just a thought.

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- Max Rebo
  Posted on June 23, 2011 at 1:51pm
  Workforit:
  
  The points you’ve brought to the table are very true, and I especially agree with your stance on wanting public education to become more known.
  
  However, from personal experience in watching past programs MTV’s produced, I doubt producers will follow the guidelines you’ve just highlighted in sharing your experience. As per usual, they will want to train their sights on gluttons rather than individuals, (like you), who actually want to go places rather than just fake-bake and party all the time.
  
  It is especially tough for me, seeing as the audience MTV is targeting is my generation, for I am only 19 years old, and at times, I feel ashamed to partake in our society.
  
  Though the story is fictional, Glenn’s novel, The Overton Window, hits the nail on the head. TV shows like Jersey Shore, and now, (I hope not), MTV’s “Highschool Dropout Series”, are dummying down younger members of our society.
  
  The window is shifting, my friends…
  
  Report this comment
Max Rebo
Posted on June 23, 2011 at 1:21pm
Ladies and gentleman…The Overton Window.

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IntegrityFirst
Posted on June 23, 2011 at 1:18pm
Good, let ‘em. It’s a free country. Their actions will have eternal consequenses.

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cobra two
Posted on June 23, 2011 at 1:03pm
Only in America baby! . Just what the Govt wants more dumbed down useful idiots. Unphukinbelievable!

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abbygirl1994
Posted on June 23, 2011 at 12:54pm
Just what our children need.. glorifying dropouts. I see what is going on… tell our children or grandchildren that school doesn’t matter, keep em dumb so they can be handled and used by this administration. What is MTV thinking of??

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SI08
Posted on June 23, 2011 at 12:35pm
JKS, you and your husband are to be commended. But, we are dealing with a different generation that lack motivation and have very little to no self-respect. The generation we’re dealing with now love living off of you and me and other working people.

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SI08
Posted on June 23, 2011 at 12:28pm
Great, another mind-numbing reality show that has no significance other than making the youth of this country even lazier and dumber. It’s sad. I grew up wathcing MTV when it was really Music Television back in the ’80″s. Now it’s nothing more than liberal media for the teen crowd, who will vote one day.

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Mustangdave
Posted on June 23, 2011 at 12:15pm
solution…BLOCK MTV…MTV2 and VH1..and BET…who needs this drivel anyway

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JKS
Posted on June 23, 2011 at 12:15pm
husband from finishing anything (or everything!) we start!

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JKS
Posted on June 23, 2011 at 12:15pm
Not all high school drop outs are fat, uneducated losers, but I have no doubt MTV will choose the most sensational, salacious characters for this program. Keep in mind, a HS diploma (or college degree, for that matter) are NOT what they once were.

My husband and I are both high school drop outs. I left senior year, he dropped out in 9th grade. I was in all honors and advanced placement classes and had two required courses my last year of school. The rest of my day was filled with garbage classes like business math and keyboarding. I learned to make Velveeta and Rotel dip in home ec that year. I wasn’t allowed to have a reduced day because I was a “first year senior.” In other words, had I failed and come back, I would have been rewarded with a half-day schedule!

School was a waste of my time. I got my GED the NEXT DAY (tested right out of the mandatory classes) and found a job making $17K a year, salaried, in 1993. I later joined the Navy to “see the world” and served honorably as a journalist and public affairs specialist for 11 years. I met and married my husband, also in the Navy, while I was on active duty and we decided it was best for our family for me to get out and raise our (now) four children. I also homeschool them!

We’ve never once taken welfare or asked for help… not even from family. We’ve made our own way, even as “ignorant drop outs.” I even managed to earn a bachelor’s in HRM.

Being a drop out has not stopped me or my hu

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- JKS
  Posted on June 23, 2011 at 12:17pm
  never stopped me or my husband from finishing anything we start.
  
  (Sorry about the extended post – the character count froze on me!)
  
  Report this comment
- Workforit
  Posted on June 23, 2011 at 2:04pm
  Same for me… and I agree. I think all of us “grow out” of our teens and twenty’s. Thank god I survived mine! I witnessed the very first video on MTV, and had a blast for about a decade. College by the seat of my pants without the student loan payments I guess you could say. Scroll down and read my post. I refuse to believe we are the exception to the rule.
  
  Report this comment
Viking64
Posted on June 23, 2011 at 12:04pm
Three plus decades of totally failed national socialistic entitlement programs from the liberal democrats and now we have the dumbing down of America? How do you fix the problem when were almost to the bottom of the water falls? Drug tests, more fraud prevention, reduction of illegal immigration , literacy tests for all politicians, especially liberals! No high school completion, must go back till completed. I do agree most of these kids will be Obama supporters or support other libs.!!!

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powhatan
Posted on June 23, 2011 at 11:18am
television sludge….no wonder the world speaks badly of th US….

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chrisc0ttingham
Posted on June 23, 2011 at 11:08am
They already are: Jersey Shore. Those people probably didn’t even graduate grade 8.

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JoeNY
Posted on June 23, 2011 at 11:00am
I hate to admit this, but I recently “read” an article which stated that the “16 and Pregnant” cast members were making a cool $250,000+ to be on the show (along with a few being arrested). So, if you don’t want to bother with school you should line up and get a shot at fame, money, and do what ever you want on tv for a LOT more than leeching off of your parents or what the mini-mart pays. Sounds like a deal- and a good source of pot/beer money.

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tiredofprogressives
Posted on June 23, 2011 at 10:56am
New Jersey is a pagan country. Nothing to be proud of.

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Chainsoftyranny
Posted on June 23, 2011 at 10:56am
Absolutely amazing. Let us all hover and kneel before the idiot box and revel in the second hand light of glory thrown forth by the uneducated, the loose, the monosyllabic mouthbreathers that make up modern “entertainment/reality” programming. I am proud to say that I have not watched any of these shows. The blatant ignorance and stupidity of the people on them turns my stomach. Go ahead and dumb down America, it will make it easier for us, the Thinkers, to take over and turn this country back to the greatness that it was once know for. When the people that have stored food, held their weapons, planned ahead, paid off debts and educated themselves to the perils of monster government are the only ones left standing, that means everyone else is already on their knees. We will rebuild this country and it will be a place that shines in the dark again. Conservatives- Go forth and do good things.

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wise grandma
Posted on June 23, 2011 at 10:55am
This surprises me in the way I thought most of the people on TV were high school dropouts.

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busterpuddles
Posted on June 23, 2011 at 10:33am
No, it’s much less than mediocrity.

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busterpuddles
Posted on June 23, 2011 at 10:31am
OMG! That’s just what we need!

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KeithOlberdink
Posted on June 23, 2011 at 10:18am
Welcome to obama’s nation, celebrate mediocrity.

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