David Blaine, Ata, and all the rest

Voyeurism: a prying observer who is usually seeking the sordid or the scandalous
Voyeur: someone who does the act of voyeurism.
, And let’s call someone who becomes the object of the act voyeurism is called a watch-object (made-up word).

Although these words had sexual connations just a decade ago-since the 90s we all have become voyeurs and eager objects of watch thanks to different media channels.

For me, the act started with an MTV Show “ The Real World” Los Angeles in 1993 (apparently the show was on air since 92, but I missed the first season) . I enjoyed watching the cast who were around my age, I devotedly sat in front of their bickering, love interests, and ambitions. I sided with some of them and disliked some of them. I discussed them with my friends. And to all this, I became addicted, it became one of my favorite shows, the real lives of my peers across the ocean. No imagination invested, no acting required, just the lives of people like me. I strongly disliked Puck and discussed what an asshole he was, do not caring if I wanted to observe Puckalikes, I did not need to look very far away than my university dorm.

Overtime reality shows diversified to satisfy us voyeurs needs, more extreme people were casted at more extreme situations. The more bickering the better, the more opposite belief clashes , the better.

Reality shows with potential brides, grooms, and mother in laws; shows with very large people dieting, shows with just being locked into a house with ten other people for two months- found a very wide audience. Young men and women actually enjoyed choosing their alleged life partners on a live TV show. These so called contests all had big prize moneys associated with them. Although the money itself was an incentive enough to participate, most of these people seemed to enjoy displaying themselves on TV. Last year one of the contestants, Ata, on the bride-groom shows OD’d. We read and watched the news of his death as a continuation of the show that had just ended a couple of months ago. Then the show and its likes were held responsible by the public and media. But the show itself is not a living organism, it is just a channel that meets the voyeur and its objects, who are both enthusiastic to enroll in their roles.

Then comes the likes of David Blaine, some may argue he is one of a kind. But I see him as an extention of what people are willing to go through to reach the pinnacle of being a watchee . He wants to become the highly admired object of the voyeurs, by doing a display act that most of its watchers would dare not to do. He is actually risking his life doing the acts. He has been hospitalized more than once. He is the personification of utter disrespect for the human life. I am not sure how the mother of a boy who is struck with a terminal illness and struggling to hold on to his life, feels towards Blaine who is so on the verge of letting go of his life just for a record for holding his breath longest. Disregard for our lives is a personal matter, and we may choose to live more dangeorusly, take more risks and so on. But to make this a public matter tells much more about Blaine and us voyeurs.