There are two reasons to watch reality TV. The first is to get caught up in a life that's so much more lavish and fun than your own (as in the cases of "Keeping Up With The Kardashians" or "Rich Kids Of Beverly Hills"). The second is to to feel better about yourself (as in the case of the recently-cancelled "Here Comes Honey Boo Boo"). One type of reality TV makes you feel like your life is pretty boring, the other type confirms that your life is pretty great in comparison. It's not news that in a consumer-driven culture, we love to feel better about ourselves by comparing ourselves to those who seem so much worse off. It is a sad truth that a crazy celebrity downfall or an exploitative TLC show on a "redneck" family are designed to make everyday life seem not so bad in comparison. But why is it that so much of our culture loves a good, sad story? Most people watch shows such as "Here Comes Honey Boo Boo" because it's funny and prov ides entertainment. But why is it so funny? Why do we laugh when Honey Boo Boo struggles to spell simple words? When does the sad story go too far?
If you haven't already heard about it already (because no story is too low for the tabloids), Mama June, the matriarch of the "Here Comes Honey Boo Boo" universe, has gotten back together with her child molester ex-boyfriend, Mark McDaniel. This is the same boyfriend who molested Mama June's own daughter, Anna Cardwell, when Cardwell was just eight years old. The eponymous Honey Boo Boo herself is only nine years old, and recent photographs of Mama June, McDaniel, and Honey Boo Boo all house-hunting together have surfaced this past month. McDaniel had recently been released from a 10-year prison stint on charges of "rape, child molestation, aggravated child molestation, enticing a child for indecent purposes and aggravated sexual battery" in another case. TLC, which has had no problem in exploiting and laughing at the family for several seasons now, cancelled the show abruptly. Clearly, some lines can't be crossed. Child Protected Services are investigati ng the family, but their story as a form of pure entertainment has dropped out of public purview.
Though exploitive TV is nothing new, our culture can't quite stomach watching something as deplorable as a child abuse scandal unravel — at least not for entertainment purposes. In a recent Buzzfeed article titled "The Dark Side of America's Redneck Reality TV Obsession," writer Ryan Broderick takes a look at the perils of pointing and laughing at "rednecks" for amusement. Sometimes it goes too far, and then the show is cancelled. Mama June is condemned, but the damage has already been done.
Unfortunately, the love of sad reality TV does not stop at poking fun of Honey Boo Boo's family. There are less disgraceful, more easily swallowed scandals that have captivated audiences in the reality TV genre before. For example, Farrah Abraham, of the "Backdoor Teen Mom" pornographic tape fame, got her start first on "16 And Pregnant" and then on the spin-off "Teen Mom." Abraham's stint on reality TV was parlayed into a memoir, "My Teenage Dream Ended," and an album of the same name (heralded as "one of the worst works of pop music ever"). When the attention wore off from those developments, Abraham made a sex tape with porn star James Deen, and then a sequel to said sex tape. Her most recent development has been the rather unique stint of making and selling silicone molds of her genitals. Abraham seems happy enough, and she's certainly making a career for herself, but she's often disparaged by various media outlets. Once again, the seemin gly sad circumstances of her life —teen pregnancy, the death of her boyfriend, a troubled relationship with her mother— have been used as fuel for her career.
The 2009 divorce between Jon and Kate Gosselin, of the massively popular former reality TV series "Jon & Kate Plus 8," is a textbook example of a reality TV scandal. Audiences could either look down their noses at Jon for allegedly having an affair with Hailey Glassman while still married to Kate or treat Kate with disdain for being an apparently fame-seeking exploitative mother. The crumbling marriage between the two heads of the beloved TV family could be watched with entertainment and little guilt because a divorce is more comfortable than child molestation or teen pregnancy in the public eye; it's far too common nowadays to be a taboo. The show was not cancelled. In fact, the divorce was announced on an episode and discussed throughout Jon's final season on the show. The show was then renamed "Kate Plus 8″ and carried on for two more seasons, with a third premiering this December.
Humans have always been capable of cruelty, which is no big secret. Laughing at others and judging others are practically national pastimes, from schoolchildren being bullied in the playground to the condemnation of figures in political sex scandals, from Monica Lewinsky to Anthony Weiner. Everyone is looking for the person to turn into the next big punchline. Here's the thing, though: while so many might be laughing at all these people, these "victims" are laughing all the way to the bank.
Sure, these reality TV shows are exploitative and unkind, and aim to portray real people in the most ridiculous light. But who is to say they aren't aware of the exploitation and making the most of it? It's the old "Simple Life" trick that Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie pulled years ago—they may act stupid and silly, but they're savvy enough to know that it's their seemingly dumbest comments they make them the most money. Humans lean towards gossip and judgement no matter what, so what's wrong with the fact that a few people have been clever enough to tune into this and make a living out of it? Perhaps not all sad reality TV is so sad after all.
However, there are some things that just can't be made fun of, as Mama June is soon learning. She's reportedly the only cast member who won't be paid for the remainder of the season. When it gets truly sad—as in the case of "Here Comes Honey Boo Boo"—the networks aren't interested in laughing anymore, and neither are we.
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