Saturday, June 6, 2015

I don't want to hear that!

In the summer of 1994, my dad would answer the phone with if you are going to talk about OJ or the flood, I don't want to talk.

Do you ever get sick of topics? That is how I feel about Caitlyn Jenner and the Duggar molestation scandal. For a brief moment, I watched the two married sisters who are pregnant or recently gave birth trying to make everything better.

What caught me was one seemed to have that awareness that maybe the family was not perfect and there were other opinions in the world besides the one they thought was the only one. Maybe it was just me. But doubt and uncertainty was there.

It made me think of an 8-year-old. Developmentally, it is a magical year with what a child is able to comprehend. It is also a time, children start learning their place in the world. It truly is a bittersweet time.

I do wish the best for these newsmakers. One is making money off their newsworthiness and the other one will need to invest what they have wisely. The have lost their goose that laid a golden egg.

As a society, the United States is in places I never thought we would be. Gay marriage is a big one. It is on the verge of being legal everywhere. When I was a kid, gays stayed in the closet or moved to Atlanta. Transgender is not the big shocker the satirical novel featuring the topic by Gore Vidal called Myra Breckinridge in 1968 was.

The Duggars is another phenomenon. I grew up in a conservative Baptist church. The Duggars would have been considered fanatical and impractical. These exaggerated fundamental Christians did not exist except for perhaps the Amish or Mennonites. The fact that they entered popular culture is surprising.

TLC used to be the Learning Channel and had more educational programming. Currently, reality television has taken over its line-up. Some of it is quite good like the Little Couple. They allow people to learn about what they do to make ordinary living ordinary. However, other shows have verged on the normalization of the freak show.

Reality television I would like to see.

1. A posh Indian (Asian) wedding of Indian-Americans in full detail. Show families making plans and the wedding itself.

2. Life on an Indian Reservation. Show the good, bad and the ugly.

3. Bring back Queen for a Day program. However, shower all the contestants with gifts.

4. Have a group of families try to live a year at poverty level. Show them balancing the budget, lifestyle adaptations, etc. Word to lawmakers, moms everywhere know spaghetti is inexpensive and liked by most children. Why would you want to stop Food Stamps from purchasing spaghetti sauce?

What do you think would make a great reality show? But don't tell me Caitlyn Jenner or the Duggars.

9 comments:

  1. lol yeah, hearing about them over and over is so stupid. But the masses eat it up, sadly. I hate reality tv, so would be glad if it all died off. Not gonna happen though.

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  2. He who has the gold rules. It's cheap to make, little creativity needed, this is why I read midlist writers. I like to think what I want to think and not drown in the mass of what sells to the widest possible audience.

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  3. I agree wholeheartedly. I detest reality tv, and am not a great tv watcher. So couldn't even suggest a theme for a reality show.

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    1. I've never been keen on tv. I do like a good movie though. I had students who did not like videos and I understood. I did not like them either.

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  4. The acceptance of gay marriage and how fast it's happened is frightening.

    I'd like to see a show about Indians. We're always taking about civil rights and prejudice and most people overlook the fact that the Native American people got the shortest end of the stick.

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    1. I'm also on the soapbox about native Americans. I've been reading about the rise in suicide of young native Americans plus other disturbing facts. I can't stand to see anyone especially children having difficult lives. For native Americans, I think their treatment has led to so much dysfunction and we should do better for them. I'm not holding my breath though.

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  5. You hit one of my pet peeve buttons. I have never watched nor will ever watch a reality show. I think people who want their family's life put on TV have emotional issues. The shows really disgust me. I really roll my eyes when they do something with the Amish. I grew up in Amish country and their reality isn't anything like what's on TV or in novels. I never watch contest shows either like Biggest Loser or Survivor. It all falls in the same category are professional wrestling as me.

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    1. Well said. I have only seen the commercials for the Duggars. I hated comparing their beliefs to the Amish. The Amish are more rooted in well thought out dogma. I have watched a few of the contest shows but I tape them and then I find myself looking at who was voted off etc. There is not much substance for sure. They make you a bit queasy in how low they will go to win.

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  6. I hate hearing about things like this over and over again. Once of even twice is fine, but every time I turn on the TV? That's just too much.

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