After discussing cultural hegemony in class I really began to think about the implicit messages that are sent through television shows.  A lot of the shows that have the highest ratings are reality television shows.  Shows that can be considered commodities, very straightforward, mindless entertainment.  Because there has been a huge rise in the number of reality shows on TV, you have to think of the message it sends to not only domestic viewers but international viewers as well.  Cultural hegemony is the spreading of ideas from the dominant class to the lower class.  However you can argue that the media doesn't necessarily control the public, maybe the public controls the media.

I was recently visiting my sister who lives in Spain, and whenever we were at her house the TV was always on.  There were only a few channels with english TV shows.  The shows included Two and a Half Men, Teen Mom, Paris Hilton's My New BFF, Jersey Shore, and Law and Order.   I rarely watch TV at home and when I do I would never watch any of these shows.  Even though I didn't like any of these shows I still watched them, while watching them I couldn't help but think about the fact that these shows are representing America.  We talked in class that media reflects the ideals or culture of the ruling class, however when you take examples from some of today's most popular shows, the idea of these shows representing any of our county's ideals is ludicrous. I don't think majority of popular television shows today give viewers an accurate perception of life in the United States, and in many ways I think the public controls the media.