What is the deal lately with babies and TV shows? I have never heard of the Duggar Family, until I read this interview on CNN where they discussed the Nadya Suleman story. Ms. Suleman is the woman who recently had eight children via in vitro fertilization. She already had 6, and she's unemployed... you know the story. How's she going to turn that all around? She'll probably get a TV show. Why? We love our humongous families.
What is it that makes me think...the more the babies you have the more tv deals, book deals, Oprah appearances, and website donations you can find. Pop 'em out, the money will roll in.
I cannot imagine how the Duggar Family could possibly survive without a tv contract. And the shows called "and Counting," so they should just keep dropping them.
The Duggar Family consists of 18 children. That's a household of 20. They have a show on TLC called 17 Kids and Counting. Then there is Jon and Kate plus 8, about the Gosselin family of 10. Also on TLC. Kids by the Dozen; TLC. Is TLC singlehandedly paying for, and thereby encouraging, reproduction in such numbers? That doesn't account for any competitors who host their own shows about giant families that I've also never heard of.
Here's some suggested reading for your producers, TLC. It's called Maybe One. Check it out, for balance if nothing else.
2 comments:
At it's root it's a cultural fixation with the absurd and extraordinary. There are plenty of other TV shows and newspots without the mention of babies or families to support this notion, which is obviously no suprise. For example, how many TV shows have the word "millionaire" or the name of a city associated with a high quality of life in the title? A lot. For better or worse, modern Americans are enamored by superlatives.
-Terrence
So true. The baby phenomenon is just the latest.
It's pretty much all about encouraging unsustainable living.
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