Quarterly Bulletin

Reality television shows are becoming common nowadays. Big Brother Africa is one such show that is attracting a wider viewership in the continent. But the “Big Question” is: Is Big Brother adding value to people’s ways of living or eroding some of their moral values? Williams Dhelonga, S.J., a student at the University of Lubumbashi in the Democratic Republic of Congo, argues in this article that Big Brother Africa is promoting a bad culture and a bad morality.

Big Brother has been broadcasting since 1999. It was created by Mr. John De Mol who owns Endemol, a production company. Big Brother is a reality television show that confines a number of people (between 12 and 15) to live together for 3 months in an isolated house. They are not allowed to go out from the house or keep in touch with the outsiders. Internet, television, and books are forbidden so that housemates are forced to interact only with each other more.

The winner is the one who will remains at the end of three months and he or she is paid 100 000 US Dollars or more. So regularly, during the 3 months, the public vote out some of the housemates who do not please the viewers. This broadcast is live and films every detail and everything. Nothing is out of the sights of the public.

In fact the concept of this Broadcasting came from the George Orwell’s 1949 novel “Ninety Eighty-Four” where Big Brother is an enigmatic dictator of a totalitarian state called Oceania. In that state, every one is under complete surveillance by television cameras.

What we can ask ourselves is: Is Big Brother really a good game? What is the bad influence that Big Brother has on our society? What does it mean in terms of people’s desire? What is the aim of Big Brother?

THE UNDERLYING MOTIVE

Many more questions can be asked. Let us try to answer some of them. We know that Big Brother was created by a Businessperson who, just as any Businessperson, wants to raise his or her capital, to gain more money. Morality is not really a preoccupation of a businessperson; neither is respect for human beings unless he or she is a very conscientious person.

Since 1999, Big Brother has had a huge audience. For Endemol, it is a commercial success. That’s why Big Brother has spread throughout the world with many versions in other countries like Great Britain, France, and Austria. The economic power Endemol is gathering is becoming very strong and the modern values and “so-called” needs give them more power.

Similar multinationals, whose main concern are profits, are spreading in the world leading to a political and social culture that promotes domination. This has an impact on the culture and morality of people.

That is why we should be aware on what these multinationals are suggesting to us. Let me clearly state why Big Brother Africa is promoting a bad culture and a bad morality.

THE INFLUENCE ON CULTURE

First, there is no respect for human beings because there is no privacy. Cameras are everywhere and show everything. Even if they “freely” accept to be filmed, there are some embarrassments we can notice. In fact, in private, anyone feel confident to do what he or she really wants and is not afraid of the judgment of anyone.

The embarrassments of contestants are showing that Big Brother is a violation of privacy. In real life, some stars and famous people are really upset by the intrusion in their private life by cameras. This breach of privacy shows that Big Brother has failed to show the real life of human beings because, in real life, the contestants would never behave naturally if they knew that all of their actions were been filmed.

Second, there is lack of respect of human values. Putting males and females in a confined place where they share bedrooms, bathrooms and every thing when some of them are married, could force them into sexual relationships that are unhealthy. This is bad especially that it is only the outcome of being together. It is not good to lead to the temptation but to avoid. Big Brother is non-respectful of human beings.

Third, viewers are the judges. They have to send a sms to vote out who doesn’t please them. Players know that they are been seen. So they behave not naturally but just to please the viewers. The questions to ask are: What really entertains people today? Where only money, bodies, charms seem to be important? So the players are going to behave according to the need of  the public.  On  the  other hand, viewers are behaving like voyeurs. They become accustomed to the voyeurism behavior in Big Brother. That’s really bad for our society. Big Brother is destroying the respect for others.

Fourth, Big Brother puts players in the uncomfortable situation of competition. The tight situation is the lack of sincerity where in the same time each contestant has to be in good terms with others and also not to allow them to be better. Of course, it is a game but what type of game? A game that plays with other people’s sentiments, a game with people’s lives? To survive, a participant must be the cleverest. He or she needs to be malicious in his or her interaction with others. He or she has to play not to expose the real self. This, in fact, is a contradiction with what Big Brother wants to claim that they are broadcasting “reality” TV show. In reality, a family does not try to evict each other even if one of them misbehaves.

Fifth, Big Brother places contestants in the uncomfortable situation of betraying one another. Some can object that players are free to get involved in Big Brother or not. So this objection is just to say the players are only responsible for their choice. I do not think so. Because money is bait for those who are in need. The dream of 100,000 US dollars can motivate one to do anything to win it. Businesspersons know this and so, sadly, they play with people’s lives and emotions to earn more money for themselves.

Sixth, can we really say that modern people are free? In ancient Rome, there were free people and slaves. Some slaves were chosen to be gladiators. Gladiators were very strong men or women and were chosen to fight in the Coliseum against wild animals and other gladiators until death. People in the stadium were the judges. The death or life was depending on them.

Many gladiators died just for the entertainment and pleasure of “free people”. What’s the real difference between this leisure and Big Brother? It’s only that gladiators were mostly slaves and died at the end of the fight. Now, players are “free” and there is no “death” at the end. But it is almost alike. Are we really different from those cruel behaviors? Are the housemates of Big Brother not just the slaves of ancient Rome?

WHY BIG BROTHER?

To conclude, Big Brother does not respect privacy of people. It is just the manipulation of people in order to increase business prospects and profits. It puts people in a situation where promiscuous relationships seem to be morally accepted -- and that is very sad.

Big Brother trains the viewers as voyeurs which is a psychology deformation. The risk here is that this could transform the culture in a bad way. Big Brother does not respect life. It is not really different from the leisure of people in Rome during ancient times. We should really think much more about the necessity of Big Brother’s broadcast and similar such shows. Would it not be better to stop it?

We have to find other ways and games for our enjoyment that respect morality, family and African values. Shows that put people in unnecessary temptation should be rejected. We can hope to build a civilisation of respect and love, and to avoid the big problems of Big Brother!

Dhelonga Williams, S.J.
University of Lubumbashi Democratic Republic of Congo

“Sell your possessions and give alms. Get yourselves purses that do not wear out, treasure that will not fail you, in heaven where no thief can reach it and no moth destroy it. For where your treasure is, there is your heart also.” (Luke 12:33-34)