Analysis Of Ruth Ozeki s My Year Of Meats Essay - 1395 Words

A central theme within Ruth Ozeki’s My Year of Meats is the idea of authenticity. It appears in the very core of the show My American Wife!, where the goal is to find â€Å"authentic,† â€Å"attractive† wives with attractive families and lifestyles so that BEEF-EX can make meat look appealing to Japanese viewers. However, many characters in the book have different views on what authenticity means, and the definitive definition is never revealed by Ozeki. In fact, My American Wife!, the authentic reality show, is one of the least realistic parts of the entire book and a reflection on the lack of authenticity in today’s reality TV shows. Although authenticity is projected as subjective, as My Year of Meats shows us, one will find nothing â€Å"real† or â€Å"genuine† about reality TV, which is negatively impacting our society. My Year of Meats displays the multitude of definitions that people use when talking about authenticity. Ozeki shows readers how authenticity can be an subjective view, varying from person to person. It’s important that reality shows, especially â€Å"My American Wife!,† be seen as authentic — how else would BEEF-EX sell their product if it didn t seem realistic? The book also touches on the relationship of wholesomeness and authenticity. John Ueno often has â€Å"disagreements† with Akiko, who tends to rate â€Å"authenticity† and â€Å"wholesomeness† far away from each other when watching â€Å"My American Wife!† â€Å"Now, what’s the point of Wholesomeness if it’s not Authentic? A two for