What has reality TV done to us?

There's long been some form of "reality TV" kicking around - in the form of news programs, documentaries and game shows, for example. But in the 1990s and especially the 2000s, there was such an explosion of "unscripted" programming on television coinciding with wholesale changes in society that it was hard to separate the two. It could be argued America in particular has been susceptible to the influence of reality television. The country even elected a reality TV star - Donald Trump of "The Apprentice" - as its president. Beyond politics, reality TV has become a key platform for upcoming music stars with shows such as "The Voice" and "American Idol" and made stars of people just living their lives in front of the camera on shows like "Keeping Up With the Kardashians," "The Real Housewives" and even "Jersey Shore." And it seems we've become more likely to reward brash behavior than ever before, pulling for "villains" on shows like "Survivor" and "Big Brother." As entertainment journalists, Chuck Campbell and Wayne Bledsoe, hosts of the podcast "How We Heard It," have had their brushes with reality shows and reality stars over the years. And in this episode of the podcast they discuss and debate their experiences and observations. Has reality TV made Americans less empathetic? Has it dumbed down the country? Has it helped us in some ways by teaching us lessons about human behavior? Has it diversified our entertainment beyond the generic fare of many scripted shows? Bottom line: Is reality TV simply another form of escapist entertainment, is it a sinister force in our society, or is the truth somewhere in between? What do you think?