Are "Reality TV Shows" responsible for lowering the culture

I think tv shows whats already there, things that once were hidden or localized to area's where local people knew certain things were going on are now being exposed to the whole nation, the world. For instance, i would have never knew that there were pageants that involved parents dressing their toddlers like grown women and strutting them in front of people on a stage till television showed it or the fact that there are people out in the swamps who fish barehanded. Television programing has made us transparent, transparent to a point that it may show us (Americans) in a negative light. But anything other than that would be made up. I guess it goes both ways as far as the question goes.

if people stop watching them or better yet if the SPONSORS STOP advertising on them they couldn't air. Surely you don't expect the networks to take them off the air if people enjoy them.... I don't but hey, i'm a crotchety old man... what do I know

These shows contribute to "lowering" the culture by celebrating or holding up as a "lofty goal" turning your underwear inside out and showing the world.

"Wikipedia says:Trash culture is associated with television, Smoking and Drugs, fast-food, mass media, popular music, teenage culture, movies, Rap Music, Modern urban fashion, Sagging, Fitted hats, shoewears such as Nike, Adidas, Modern Graffiti and Vandalism, slangs such as "Swagg", "Yolo", "Young money", etc.., excessive use of electronics and smartphones (Blackberries, Iphones, Androids, Videogames, etc..) and other electronic devices, texting and chatting, social networks such as Facebook, Twitter, etc..,and Reality television, popular music, escapist fiction, Kitsch, slapstick, camp, toilet humor, yellow journalism, pornography, and exploitation films are often cited examples of low culture."

Wikipedia failed to add the Urban slang phrase - NO WAT IM SAYIN, that's repeated after, and sometimes in between, every friggin sentence, and Reality TV icon, Kim Kardashian, to the list of Trash/low culture examples.

I think these shows are a result of our "lowered" culture not a cause.

lack of parental teaching

and parental neglect,they allow the TV's to babysit their children and don't monitor what the kids are doing