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I'm getting the impression it's all about the bottom line.
Let's face it: you can't turn on the T.V., or walk by a magazine stand, without having the Gosselin family in your face. Jon did this....Kate said that....poor Jon....poor Kate....oh, but the kids got to go cake decorating!....
It's really a sad story when you think about it. A young couple, desperately wanting children but unable to do so on their own. Then Abraca-Dabra, they have 8. How are they going to make ends meet? How are they going to raise so many kids so close in age?
Then here comes Human Interest Corporation Extraordinaire (also known as TLC) to the rescue, and all their troubles are over. Let's make a couple of documentaries, the public would love to see this!
Well, the financial concerns are now taken care of, especially since Joe Public loved the documentaries so much, TLC made it a regular TV show. No more worries of the $$$ kind for Jon and Kate.
But at what cost?
What relationship can stand the test of that kind of publicity? I'll be honest: I don't watch the show. Neither hubby nor I could stand to watch the 2 of them snipe at each other constantly, although the kids were really cute. And now, the marriage is over. These 2 must now fight out their problems in full public view, while the kids watch in the background.
So, who's at fault for this spectacle?
Jon and Kate? They're human. They both have great attributes, they both have faults. They both have made some poor decisions, but then who doesn't? The show is a money-maker, and who can pass up that kind of opportunity? They can keep on raking it in, while the kids watch in the background. After all, they have a lifestyle to maintain...
TLC? Maybe they should have canceled the show when it became obvious that the family was going through some very significant issues. But come on, folks, the show is a money-maker! Why look a gift horse in the mouth? All this angst is great for ratings, you know!
Which brings me to what, in my humble opinion, is the worst part of the whole scenario, why the show continues to be produced, and why this family is continuing to air their dirty laundry in public.
Joe Public.
Let's face it: if people didn't watch the show, TLC would cancel it. But like a bad accident on the highway, we all feel so compelled to watch, to look, to see how bad it will get, how bad is the damage, how bad are the injuries....it's the North American public who should be ashamed of themselves for perpetuating this absolute circus.
And who's caught in the middle? 8 young kids, who's world is falling apart around them. They have become pawns in a horrible human chess game, where the major players aren't just their parents (as it is in most divorces), but you also have a major TV network involved and, of course, the public's insatiable need for real-life soap operas.
But, as I said at the beginning, I think it's all about the bottom line: $$$ for the parents (which they are now fighting over - big surprise?), $$$ for TLC, $$$ for lawyers, $$$ for advertisers,....
Some say that the parents are continuing with the show for the kids, so they will be financially secure, and so that they can have opportunities they might not have had otherwise. I think the parents have even said that themselves.
They might even believe it.
But is it truly worth it?
And should we, Joe Public, be encouraging them to do so?
Let's face it: you can't turn on the T.V., or walk by a magazine stand, without having the Gosselin family in your face. Jon did this....Kate said that....poor Jon....poor Kate....oh, but the kids got to go cake decorating!....
It's really a sad story when you think about it. A young couple, desperately wanting children but unable to do so on their own. Then Abraca-Dabra, they have 8. How are they going to make ends meet? How are they going to raise so many kids so close in age?
Then here comes Human Interest Corporation Extraordinaire (also known as TLC) to the rescue, and all their troubles are over. Let's make a couple of documentaries, the public would love to see this!
Well, the financial concerns are now taken care of, especially since Joe Public loved the documentaries so much, TLC made it a regular TV show. No more worries of the $$$ kind for Jon and Kate.
But at what cost?
What relationship can stand the test of that kind of publicity? I'll be honest: I don't watch the show. Neither hubby nor I could stand to watch the 2 of them snipe at each other constantly, although the kids were really cute. And now, the marriage is over. These 2 must now fight out their problems in full public view, while the kids watch in the background.
So, who's at fault for this spectacle?
Jon and Kate? They're human. They both have great attributes, they both have faults. They both have made some poor decisions, but then who doesn't? The show is a money-maker, and who can pass up that kind of opportunity? They can keep on raking it in, while the kids watch in the background. After all, they have a lifestyle to maintain...
TLC? Maybe they should have canceled the show when it became obvious that the family was going through some very significant issues. But come on, folks, the show is a money-maker! Why look a gift horse in the mouth? All this angst is great for ratings, you know!
Which brings me to what, in my humble opinion, is the worst part of the whole scenario, why the show continues to be produced, and why this family is continuing to air their dirty laundry in public.
Joe Public.
Let's face it: if people didn't watch the show, TLC would cancel it. But like a bad accident on the highway, we all feel so compelled to watch, to look, to see how bad it will get, how bad is the damage, how bad are the injuries....it's the North American public who should be ashamed of themselves for perpetuating this absolute circus.
And who's caught in the middle? 8 young kids, who's world is falling apart around them. They have become pawns in a horrible human chess game, where the major players aren't just their parents (as it is in most divorces), but you also have a major TV network involved and, of course, the public's insatiable need for real-life soap operas.
But, as I said at the beginning, I think it's all about the bottom line: $$$ for the parents (which they are now fighting over - big surprise?), $$$ for TLC, $$$ for lawyers, $$$ for advertisers,....
Some say that the parents are continuing with the show for the kids, so they will be financially secure, and so that they can have opportunities they might not have had otherwise. I think the parents have even said that themselves.
They might even believe it.
But is it truly worth it?
And should we, Joe Public, be encouraging them to do so?
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