IT'S a sad sign of the times when we're no longer able to distinguish between reality and "reality" TV.
Most of the time, the character flaws revealed about both the viewer and the viewed by this form of entertainment aren't worth serious consideration.
But that's decidedly not the case with the Conservative government's recent foray into reality TV production.
In Border Security, cameras recently followed Canadian border services agents as they swooped down on illegal workers on a Vancouver construction site.
Describing the actions - authorized by Minister Vic Toews and contributed to by taxpayer dollars - as a sick publicity stunt that plays on xenophobic fears hardly goes far enough.
We expect federal employees to do their jobs impartially and to afford those they deal with a level of dignity.
The recent actions, in contrast, offer up the misfortunes of some of the most marginalized for our entertainment. When did we as a nation decide to sink so low?
In the case of Border Security and other shows like it, a massive power imbalance and invasion of privacy aren't just collateral damage caused by the show. They are the show.
Toews reacted with righteous indignation when details of his private life were broadcast over Twitter.
Apparently to the Tories and those who share their ideology, privacy is something only certain people are entitled to.
It's high time to pull the plug on this sick spectacle.
