Article that kicked off this blog entry:
www.salon.com/2013/01/07
/whats_so_funny_about_bein
g_poor/

While I understand that a lot of Southern stereotypes are there for a reason, I don't agree with using them to exploit people for entertainment purposes. I know that people can make their own choices when it comes airing out their lives publicly, but when it comes to people struggling with poverty vs. celebrities, I think there is a huge difference. And yet, instead of trying to help these people climb out of poverty and not judge them because they are different, we throw huge wads of cash at them and laugh at their "backward" ways. I don't blame the networks too much because they are only going along with what the masses demand in terms of entertainment. However, the argument from the networks that these shows shed light on rural poverty and make people aware of it is a load of crap. This just feeds that need for superiority. To truly help these people, networks should portray situations like this in a balanced, non-judgmental way. I guess that's just not as entertaining for us.

How does this tie back to SP? Well, first of all, we have the weight loss reality shows. They are a little less irksome to me because they do provide benefits and motivation to not only the participants, but the viewers of the show. However, I think the grueling Boot Camps that push people to the point of being ill, the focus on weight loss instead of body composition, the "all or nothing" mentality of the competition (lose big or go home), and lack of real world relevance all in the name of "entertainment" is pretty aggravating because I see people try to emulate that and just give up when they fail or are faced with real life. Some of the shows create a disturbing portrayal of the participants "before" life. There's a difference between reality we can relate to and reality that reinforces stereotypes of "all fat, lazy slobs who don't care about themselves".

Finally, I think an important goal in healthy living is a healthy mindset. I don't think any of us have the resolution to be a judgmental a-hole in our everyday lives, but we all fall victim to feeling superior over someone. Make it a daily goal to be kind and accepting to everyone, regardless of where they live, how big they are, or how different they are from you.

And now back to our regularly scheduled lol: