Without going into gory details, I'm a victim of violence. Not big violence - the poor fools who believed in America who are being crippled mentally and physically in Iraq for Bush's oil have suffered far worse than little me. However, my life experiences have given me an extreme distaste for committing violence.

But simply hearing about The Pick-Up Artist and Big Brother 8 has modified my beliefs somewhat. No, I could not machine-gun the participants AND the producers of these shows until they resemble twice-ground hamburger. But if someone wanted to do that, I couldn't develop the will or raise an argument to deter them.

All reality shows seem to be based on "The Secret." That is, the idea that there are rules for success in life, that those rules can be understood, learned and taught, and that ruthlessness and contempt for other people are the highest character qualities of man. To the extent that these are true, and that they pay off for the detestable people that run our businesses and government, they are depressing.

And ultimately they're ineffective. The random accident, the mutant hidden among ordinary people, the wild surmise, and the fanatic working on a different set of rules can overturn the masters of The Secret. Those can be accelerated by the anger that we outcasts feel as the masters of The Secret strut their stuff.

It would be nice to see some holocaust leveled upon one or all of the reality shows. Sadly, we'll probably have to accept second-best; the shows becoming unfashionable or self-parodying beyond public tolerance, and their becoming forgettable trivia questions on some future episode of Jeopardy.

And if Havrilesky likes sameness, channels like Nick at Nite ought to do it for her. Give the reviews of new and recent programs to someone else.

However, I have to confess that if I actually got TV reception I would probably watch "The Pick-Up Artist" just to see what he is about. I know someone who is quite intrigued with his method. Curiosity would get the better of me. Once, at my mother's, I actually watch something called "E-Lima-Date" -- or something like that and was promptly convinced that America was going to hell in a handbasket. I turned to the Animal Planet hoping for some relief and got a show about rescuing abused and neglected animals. Depressing.

I think I am better off NOT watching. Heather can have the whole medium.

Heather - you hit it. It doesn't matter that the premise is absurd and everything else is just ridiculous trash.

The voyeur component to the show is an instant hook. Getting to watch as both the geeks (contestants) and the freaks (Mystery et al) went out into a bar crowd and made their attemps was riveting.

I think the second generation reality shows on Bravo like Top Chef and Project Runway are the best reality shows because they combine soapy drama, intense suspense and genuine talent, skill and professionalism.

The first generation of reality shows (Real World, Bachelor, and even Survivor etc.) were basically like watching the moron popular kids in high school rutting.

Well, folks...

a way of diverting my attention from the mundane is to read the posts on this and other features of Salon. Tom and aka and others write some fun and interesting things often and I really like to read Heather's opening commentary. I know she loves her kid and to call it a pet monkey is a real laugher. Sort of crude and disrespectful...the kid will grow up and read that some day and think, "man, my mom was a freak! Cool!"

I don't get any tv except for nbc, abc, cbs, and pbs. In fact we only have dial-up here in my village on the salty coast of Maine. I don't think I would have as much fun if I had the 250 channel cable box; just insane choices. To read your (you all, that is)commentary saves a lot of time in my case.

Just to let you know my voyeurism starts in a different place and you are it. That is all; carry on...

It is like being at the scene of an accident. One knows he should move along, but he is too transfixed by what is occurring. It is like viewing an accident. There is real human wreckage, and the verbal brutality is turned up and, I am sure, fanned by the powers that edit what we see. (Only Thursday night is live.)

"America's Player" has indeed become a very disliked individual. It is not so much what he has had to do, but the way he chose to do it.

Finally there is the Evil Dick-(head.) This man has serious problems and really needs to have hais behavior addressed by a professional. His hostility to everyone (scept his daughter.. at least till now), his antisocial behavior and the suggestion of possible violence just below the surface are all indicative of a troubled personality who is certainly no hero.

Finally there is the Evil Dick-(head.) This man has serious problems and really needs to have hais behavior addressed by a professional

Please. At least the guy is real. Unlike that sanctimonious, officious, bible-punching holy roller (the black girl - I think her name is 'Jameka' or something).

When I was in Peace corps I used to see religious zealots like her in asylums, having to be amdinistered electro-convulsive therapy with their lithium, and other meds.

By contrast, one never saw guys like ED - they were too grounded to be running into the roads with robes on, posturing as "saviors" or preachers.

Once again, interesting writing (I would use the "ink" there, but that's not entirely accurate) about stuff I have absolutely no interest in watching. I'd like see Heather compare and contrast Graham Norton with ESPN's NASCAR coverage. Or Sunrise Earth with Wings of the Red Star. Her writing is more that up to the task.

Sorry about the examples. What I'm really saying is that there is some really challenging stuff on the tube these days, and she does cover it, albeit intermittently (sp?). And even the dross, such as this column, is worth the read.