Every miscreant seems to have one goal - end up on reality TV

“The highest form of vanity is love of fame.” — George Santayana

The announcement that Michaele and Tareq Salahi, who made headlines in November by crashing President Obama’s first state dinner, were going to write a book about their experiences both caught my attention and left me feeling disgusted.

They are working with an investigative reporter and they will critique White House security. Although, as yet, there is no publisher, their book agent says many celebrity- or scandal-based books have been very successful. Adding to her attraction, Michaele has a starring role in an upcoming “Real Housewives of D.C.” reality TV series.

The entire episode might be so ridiculous as to be considered laughable were it not for the fact that it is no longer a unique occurrence. It seems to me that there is something seriously amiss in a society so in awe of attention that it rewards outrageous, even illegal, behavior with celebrity status.

Instead of being shunned or even fined or jailed, these two self-promoting zealots, who carefully planned and orchestrated their White House exploit down to the tiniest detail, are admired and rewarded. The media and general public seemingly applaud their lies and bravado. One of their ambitions (now achieved) was to get on a “reality show.”

My writer’s curiosity aroused, I did some research on “reality” shows and was astounded to learn that there are currently more than 300 different reality shows on television.

Donald Trump, who is a stellar example of a self-promoter, wants the recently jailed Lindsay Lohan on his “Celebrity Apprentice” show, just what this obviously troubled and already overexposed young actress does not need.

After appearing on “Dancing with the Stars,” Pamela Anderson, whose main attribute is most definitely not her dancing but her expansive bustline, gushed that “dancing changed my life.”

Then there’s “Dance Your Ass Off” and “The Biggest Loser,” two of many weight-loss based reality shows.

Paris Hilton has a show so insipid it is almost fascinating. In her “My New BFF” show, potential new best friends are put through tests of loyalty, endurance and compatibility. When one by one they are eliminated, Paris dismisses them with a snide smile and says, “TTYN,” which is her shorthand for “Talk to you never.” Can anyone over 14 years of age stomach this junk? We also have the “How many kids can you produce?” genre as exemplified by “19 Kids and Counting” and “Kate + 8.” At least their profits will go to help feed and support their families.

The “Jersey Shore” show, which some Jerseyites considered so distasteful that they mounted a protest, stars several scantily dressed, loud-mouthed types as they mostly drink, sunbathe and flirt. However, one of their “stars,” Jenni “JWoww” is “designing” a new clothing line to be distributed by Filthy Couture in Las Vegas. (Honest, I’m not making this up!)

Kim Kardashian, another buxom babe, is into her second perfume launch and has a wax replica at Madame Tussauds. These so-called reality show celebrities are so admired, their endorsements earn them additional big bucks in fields where they have absolutely no expertise, everything from clothes design to “authoring” a book.

There is also “America’s Next Top Model,” “America’s Top Dog,” “America’s Toughest Jobs,” “Sell This House,” “Secret Millionaire,” “Extreme Makeover” ... the list is endless.

Wikipedia informs us that the reality type of programming, which is purportedly unscripted dramatic or humorous situations featuring ordinary people, started with game shows in the 1940s.

About 1948, Allen Funt’s “Candid Camera,” followed by “Beat the Clock” and “Truth or Consequences,” became wildly popular. In 1973, the first real reality shows were introduced with PBS’ “An American Family,” which followed the daily lives of a family going through a divorce.

The 1950 series, “You Asked For It,” in which viewers’ requests dictated the content, was the forerunner of today’s audience-participation shows in which viewers cast votes to help determine winners and the course of events.

In many reality shows, participants are put into exotic or dangerous situations and coached to act in specific, scripted ways. Speech and events are manipulated to create an illusion of reality.

We can blame the Writer’s Guild of America strike and the subsequent need for new programming for the huge growth and popularity of the reality type of show. One such show is called, “Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?”

If Americans are satisfied with this type of programming, perhaps that answers the question.

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