I've always been very reluctant to use the term "white trash", because at one point in my life, it was likely how I was described. When my mom, sister, and I first moved to Idaho, we were flat broke, my mom was single and only 22, and yes, we did a stint living in a mobile home park on the outskirts of a small town. It was a condition we never celebrated, and one that my mother got us out of as soon as she could.
White trash was always something bad. It was a completely negative connotation that should be avoided at all cost. If you were white trash, it meant that you were poor, not because of circumstances, but because of stupid decisions. It meant that you were uneducated by choice, refused to adhere to proper manners and social graces, and were generally, a detriment to society. No one wanted to talk about white trash, see it, or be it. However, somewhere in the hellscape that is reality television all that changed, and now our failing nation seems to have become obsessed with white trash.
I'm pretty sure I've seen at least a few minutes of these shows and they all follow a similar pattern; they profile a family, usually low income and little post-high school education, who happens to spend lots of money on hobbies, but lives in a sketchy dwelling. These shows aren't made as documentaries into examinations of the vast landscape of American culture, they are used as a method to make fun of people who, most Americans, would consider themselves better than.
Take "Here Comes Honey Boo Boo" for example. Just the name, Honey Boo Boo, lets you know this is not high brow entertainment. The people in the family seem sweet enough, and I almost feel sorry for becoming a laughing stock. The mother is a nothing impressive, and feeds her family meals void of any nutritional value. She doesn't take care of herself, and seems unfazed that her 17 year old daughter is about to give birth, perpetuating a cycle of teen pregnancy and poverty. This family lives in cramped quarters with cheap furnishings, yet they have plenty of money to throw into their youngest daughter's beauty pageants. When a pageant dress for a toddler can be over $500, any sensible person has to shake their head at the decision making process.
Herein lies the fascination and obsession with these white trash reality t.v. shows. Many Americans sit at home laughing at the stupidity of a family that would choose to eat generic macaroni and cheese for dinner every night in favor of buying $100 per session pageant consultations, and feel better about their own lives and circumstances. Our nation, as a whole, is not doing well. The financial crisis plunged millions into income insecurity and economic crisis, so it's not a surprise that industry has responded by giving out more opium for the masses. It's easy to look at Honey Boo Boo's family, and think, 'I make much better decisions than they do', or to watch an episode of "Teen Mom" and feel superior to the young couple who chooses to purchase matching tattoos, then in the next scene struggles to buy diapers. All of these shows perpetuate the idea that despite our houses being underwater, benefits getting cut, rampant unemployment, and politicians threatening to cut every social safety net in favor of funding war, somehow, we aren't as bad off as we thought.
In previous generations, there was mindless television, but it was counter balanced with real news shows, and programs that celebrated decent, middle of the road families. All of that is gone in this new era where the "I gots to get mine, and fuck you" attitude, accompanied by a famewhore culture, is prevalent. Kids aspire to be famous and rich instead of facing the dour reality that the job market sucks, a higher education means possibly decades of crushing debt, and in the end, even if you are responsible and play by the rules, Wall Street criminals can steal your future with no repercussion.
Part of me doesn't blame people for watching these shows to feel better about life, because life, at this point, is a depressing thing. However, I wish that Americans would get off their lazy asses and take to the streets the same way people have in Europe. Just once I would like to see one of these reality shows feature a poor family that wasn't obliviously happy, which they all seem to be. I would like to see Honey Boo Boo's mother complaining about the lack of affordable healthcare, or get upset that her rural community doesn't put an emphasis on higher education. However, I am realistic enough to know that if she did begin talking about real world issues, her show would be cancelled in a heartbeat. These shows are meant as nothing more than a modern day freak display, and we are to watch them, feel good about our lives, and remain asleep.
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