Although American society claims
that Freak Shows are bad and activists reiterate how they are an embarrassment to
American history, Freak Shows are on television. Although they may not exhibit the bearded
lady or the world’s strongest man they still exhibit what we see as an American
society as going against the ordinary.
One of the television shows that may seem innocent enough is 19 Kids and Counting. The show depicts a family of a married man
and wife with nineteen children. Because
of their religious beliefs they do not believe in the use of birth
control. Although many families across
the country share this belief this program could be considered a modern day
freak show because of the extremity at which the couple has taken their
beliefs. The public watches the show
because they want to know how a family of twenty one people can function. Some praise the parents in doing a good job
of raising that many children while others claim they are exploiting their
religious beliefs and their children. I
am not sure if the family makes any money from producing the television show
but it is quite possible that they are which parallels the ‘freak’ exhibits of
the 19th and 20th century, being put on display for
financial gain. Other shows that the
channel produces include Little People
Big World, Abby and Brittany, Addicted, Here Comes Honey Boo Boo, Sister Wives, and Toddlers & Tiaras. Each
one of these shows exhibit people that are not considered normal by societal
standards. Whether it be conjoined
twins, addicts, prepubescent beauty queens and their moms, or polygamy we are
all willing to watch how these people function. Humans are naturally curious but how much of
our time being ‘curious’ is really just us judging, criticizing, and creating
our own social hierarchy? Does watching
other people on television justify our own questionable actions in day to day
life?
-Lindsay Rynders
-Lindsay Rynders
I totally agree that we seem to get sucked into these Freak Shows because they are out of what society calls "normal". Yes people are probably judging and criticizing them but I also think there are a lot of people who are inspired by them as well. Seeing people put themselves out there for being different can encourage others to embody themselves and accept who they are, no matter what society deems "normal".
ReplyDeleteI agree as well, I think that we find enjoyment in these television shows and create our own social hierarchy. We are not educating or benefiting ourselves from watching them, but they are an escape, a way to make ourselves feel better about ourselves, and for curiosity sake. Even if we are just curious at first these shows tend to make us keep watching week after week. The characters may have different abnormalities than the normal human being, but we find pleasure in their daily lives- maybe to escape from our own issues or problems. When watching reality T.V. shows, I often wonder how much is actually true and what is exaggerated for entertainment sake. I think that when watching these types of shows such as Honey Boo Boo we judge and look down on them. But who are we to judge these families and individuals who are just trying to live their lives no matter how that may be. They are not afraid of being themselves or being out of the ‘norm’.
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