Ah Reality Shows, What Have You Done To Us?

Posted by Vulnadia on Jan 29, 2010 at 08:18 AM I just saw a commercial for Dr Phil's next show, something to do with parents who set their children on fire?? They're joking, right? WRONG...I googled it and drummed up all sorts of things that I didn't want to see. The base of the matter appears that a stunt-family team did this to get on reality tv. What is wrong with this picture? In a world where they accuse those of us who carry our higher order multiples to term of wanting extra attention, exploiting our children for money and worse, your average family can set fire to their kids, video tape it and sell it to the highest bidder and its accepted socially??? Not to mention "Balloon Boy" and his family's antics on television. It wasn't enough to go on Wife Swap, but they had to have an encore too??? I really do rue the day that multiples exploitation came into the limelight again (yes I used the word AGAIN~ google famous multiples & see what you discover.) For me, I remember a time before Jon & Kate were everywhere, a time when the Duggars weren't doin it again & again & yet again...oh look here is another child plastered all over television even before she's out of the NICU... I understand National Geographic & Discovery Health airing all of the birthing shows...they serve a purpose, they show expecting mothers what they REALLY can expect...sometimes even from conception forward... But day to day life, Supernanny, Jon & Kate, Wife-Swap and even Jack-Ass have all brought a whole new generation of problems to light. So how far would you go to get on TV??? Has it gone too far? Why do you think this has become so socially acceptable for people, even families to do this? Is it greed, want of fame & fortune or just good old fashioned need for attention? I personally find that it introduced a whole new level of danger for our children with the messages being sent. Let's do stupid human tricks, video tape them, then upload them to YOUTube and be famous. Let's take the same footage and submit it for this or that show and see if we can get even more hype, more money etc. Oh wait, what constitutes interesting in a time where it's mostly been done before? That is where the danger is coming in. Let's change the way the world looks at our children. Before it was how sweet, how cute, now the simple aren't they cute has turned into a regular interrogation at times, often included with unwanted and unsolicited assumptions and advice than can border on stalking at times! Society has really been changed with the advent of reality television. What do you think? Have you noticed any changes in how our children act? How families act? Have you done something personally with your children or family that might fall under this category?