Testing reality

I'm seeing a lot of online chatter about the SAT essay question asking students to comment on authenticity in reality television, and I don't know what to think (read about it here). Not so long ago, the SAT took criticism because its highbrow references might have discriminated against students who did not grow up attending regattas or listening to symphonies, but now the shoe is on the other foot: students unfamiliar with reality television are crying "Foul!"

I sympathize. Because we have no television service at home, most reality television is largely a myth to me. I've never watched American Idol. I saw Dancing With the Stars only once--in Czech. I saw a few episodes of Survivor during the second or third season but not since then. I hear people talking about these shows but I'm out of the loop, and I'm fine with that. But would my ignorance prevent me from responding to the SAT essay question on reality television?

According to Jacques Steinberg (writing on The Choice, a New York Times blog devoted to higher education admissions), the complete question reads like this:

Reality television programs, which feature real people engaged in real activities rather than professional actors performing scripted scenes, are increasingly popular.

These shows depict ordinary people competing in everything from singing and dancing to losing weight, or just living their everyday lives. Most people believe that the reality these shows portray is authentic, but they are being misled.

How authentic can these shows be when producers design challenges for the participants and then editors alter filmed scenes?

Do people benefit from forms of entertainment that show so-called reality, or are such forms of entertainment harmful?

Could I write an essay responding to that question despite my ignorance of reality television? Sure, but I've read Baudrillard. What about a high-school student who has spent his time attending regattas and listening to symphonies? He would have to focus on the idea of authenticity and whether simulation is harmful, but how convincing would his essay be without specific examples from reality television shows? Who would earn a better grade: a so-so student armed with a wealth of knowledge about reality television or a brilliant thinker and writer with no specific examples to back up his claims?

I hope the articulate student capable of saying something interesting about authenticity would earn high marks regardless of familiarity with reality television--that's the student I would prefer to have in my class. But then again, I'm not grading the SAT.