Chapter 7. In Context: What Reality TV Taught Us Is a piece of art (including literature, visual art, music and performance art) more valuable in and of itself, or in connection with the artist? I think that, while each piece of art has value in and of itself, most art would definitely be more valuable when viewed with a knowledge of its context. And to understand its context, you must first understand the artist, because ultimately, the context of the art is the context of the artist.
All of this appear to be far removed from the concept of reality TV, often described by selfappointed intellectuals as shallow and appealing to the 'lowest common denominator', in their own words. However, shallow or not, every piece of art or performance is ultimately a way to connect with the artist behind it. And that's why, even in popular culture, people are 61
