Why I May Actually Be Okay with the Real World: DC Representing the Millennial Zeitgeist

I’ve had a pretty on-and-off relationship with The Real World since it premiered in 1992. At the time I was four, which means the show has basically been on ever since I was old enough to consume television. Save for the years in elementary/middle school when my parents wouldn’t let me watch MTV, I’ve basically grown up with the network. I remember excitedly rushing home from school in 6th grade to catch the end of TRL with Carson Daly, dreaming of one day making it to Times Square to stand in the shrieking crowd. MTV meant something then, or at least it meant something completely different from what it means now. Back then–at least to me at 12, 13, 14–it wasn’t as synonymous with the brand of Jersey Shore detritus that currently comprises most of its programming.

Sure, there was smut–who could forget the late-night, soap-esque Undressed, which was probably most middle schoolers’ introduction to softcore porn at the time. But there was also MTV News, My So-Called Life, and Daria. And of course, there was always The Real World, which quickly went from fascinating docudrama about the “real lives of seven strangers” to the kind of tequila-guzzling, STI-and-hatred spreading shitshow that we’re all used to today. The Real World had its sobering moments: when the cast of Chicago had to emotionally cope with 9/11 while cameras were filming them, when Ruthie from Real World: Hawaii ended up in rehab. But overall we watch it to laugh at the people on it, because they’re essentially human holograms, stereotypes no longer even carefully crafted by producers, because they’ve grown up with RW, and they know exactly which role they’re meant to play.

But DC is different! At least, after watching three episodes, I think that it is. Maybe it’s because this season takes place in the nation’s capitol, where everything is automatically politically drenched. But for the most part, the housemates all seem like genuinely informed, grounded human beings. Take Emily, for instance, my favorite character on the show. Raised in a fundamentalist cult, she rebelled in the traditional ways (Drinking! Lesbianism! Dating black guys!), but she is also so damned endearing and intelligent. One of the episodes centered almost entirely on women’s body image issues and Emily had some incredibly wise and downright feminist things to say about it! On the first night, the roommates debate religion. Mike, the Denver-born bi-sexual, takes to volunteering with the HRC in one of the first few episodes. Another cast member, Ashley is a self-proclaimed “Obama fanatic” who is intensely into politics. Andrew is a published cartoonist!

Since this is really the first season where I’m around the same age as the cast members, I feel relieved that they seem so down to earth. They’re  people I don’t necessarily mind having as the MTV spokespeople for my generation, particularly when you consider their predecessors. Sure, there’s the drinking, the silly fights–but overall, the cast seems genuine, smart, and interested in discussing the important issues plaguing today’s young people. They are sexually fluid, well-informed, open and accepting. Maybe my generation has just become so accustomed to reality TV that the cast no longer feels the need to “act out” in order to be interesting. Now, they’re just being themselves. And I, for one, think that’s much more interesting programming than watching another hot tub makeout scene.