"Honey Boo Boo", Really?

There is a relatively new show out on TLC that goes a bit too far down the stupidity trail if you ask me.  The show, "Honey Boo Boo", is yet another reality TV show that follows a redneck family through their every day lives.  I have not personally seen the show, but I have watched the trailer for it and quite frankly, I plan on never watching the show.   Just from watching the trailer I feel like my IQ dropped about 10 points.  I don't believe there is one sentence spoken by any of the cast that is actually formed or spoken properly.  English seems to be a second language for this family coming right after stupidity.  From what I have heard, one of the younger girls in the family was on another show on TLC, "Toddlers and Tiaras", and this new show gets down and dirty in exposing the lives of this one family for the nation to gawk at and ridicule.  There was even an article online (I forget from where) which poses the question of whether or not people are laughing along with the family in this show or laughing at them.  From my point of view, as horrible as it is, I would be laughing at them.  Besides prostitution (which I guess this show is a form of), I don't think there are many other ways that a family could sell themselves to make money like I am sure this family will be making.  It almost seems as if TLC is running out of unique families to create reality shows around.  Lets just look at some of what they have on now.  There is "Sister Wives", the show about a polygamist family, they have the show about the little people, "Toddlers and Tiaras", "My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding", need I go on?

I understand that there are unique people out there that have a story to tell, but come on, following a redneck family and their idiotic antics does nothing to educate the nation that seems to be attracted to this show.  Perhaps it is educational on second thought.  The lesson to be learned might be, "If you don't do well in school, you could end up like this redneck family."  Hey, all ridicule aside, they do seem to have a lot of stupid fun from what I saw on the trailer.  Yet, I still have a problem with this exposition on such a large medium of one's family.  They obviously don't have a problem with exposing the nitty gritty details of their lives, but perhaps there is an underlying reason for all of it.  It seems that anyone with a unique story can go to TLC, make a pitch, and get a show modeled after themselves.  Part of the problem is that people have become bored with watching ordinary families go about their daily lives on TV.  Viewers now need the completely eccentric or odd family to watch on TV if they are to stay tuned to TLC.  In my mind, TLC has gone down the tubes in terms of quality TV despite the fact that this show, "Honey Boo Boo", pulled in more viewers than the Republican National Convention.  Maybe its like going to a circus and not being able to pass the freak show tent.   We all know what happens at the RNC, but none of us know what goes on in the lives of this one freakish family.  Thus, people can't help but turn on the boob tube and stare at this oddity of a family running around like chickens with their heads cut off. 

I am sure that with the ratings that this show is getting, this redneck family will be raking in some money.  After all, isn't that the main goal of putting your family on TV?  To let everyone watch and ridicule them.  In that sense, it is prostitution, selling one's self or their family, for money.  I wonder how money will ruin this family, because in a lot of the shows aired on TLC over the years, families have been ruined by the money they make.  I for one, would like to see a retrospective of all the reality shows aired on TLC over the years and see how the families are doing now versus when they started their shows.  I know it will never happen, but it would be interesting to see.  For now, I will state again that I will not watch this show simply due to the fact that it shouldn't even be on TV.  Obviously my opinion isn't shared by millions of viewers, but that's not my problem.  If people want to watch this show and simultaneously watch their IQ diminish, then be my guest.  I just hope that the children in this show don't get any more screwed up than they already are by being paraded around the reality TV show world.  After all, it is only reality for so long before the family portrayed starts playing into the camera and creating a world that isn't necessarily real anymore.  Only time will tell where this family will end up and how they will fare after TLC is done with them.  Hopefully it isn't worse off than when they started.