Today's Bizarro is brought to you by the New GM.I've complained about reality programs here before, but I guess I'm not finished. I simply cannot believe the sort of drivel people will waste their precious time on this planet watching.
I recently found out about a show called Jon & Kate Plus Eight. It's a reality show about some people with eight kids. And?
I can think of few things worse than having eight children in my house at one time, even for an afternoon. The idea that they have nowhere else to go until they are 18 makes me want to kill myself. Why would I want to watch other people suffer in this way? Are there enough people with chronic schadenfreude to make this show so popular?
If a film crew were living with an old woman with unabating depression and painfully swollen feet, and followed her as she struggled to the store once a week to buy cat food for her 8 tabbies, would these same people watch it? Now she's watching Wheel of Fortune. Now she's making a chicken salad sandwich. Now she's struggling to the bathroom. Will the rewards never end?
And now a cartoon by a good friend of mine, Ruben Bolling, about Jon & Kate Plus 8. And here is Ruben's blog. And here is a page of previous "Tom the Dancing Bug" strips for you to enjoy. And here are his socks.
13 comments:
That's just it, they're mindless. Some people prefer alcohol, some people prefer to take a mental vacation from themselves by watching completely zombifying tv. Both probably about equally harmful in the long run.
I didn't get it either until I started dating an otherwise intelligent, interesting, and beatiful girl who watched, well, utter shit.
As for schadenfreude (or good old fashioned sadism)- for regular people, not so much. For people like "Spencer and Heidi" or "12 pack", it's boundless. Just try and pretend you don't wish them anguish.
And what about the new Tori Spelling reality show, with her husband and two babies. That would make you throw up. I did.
Your cartoon is oh-so-cruel, Dan!! (But funny!!!)
ha. I hate reality shows, and though I've never watched it, I hate Jon and Kate. My grandparents had eight kids and no one made a reality show about it. Lots of people had more kids than that. What makes them so special?
I'd rather watch real fiction than fake reality.
Reality TV is a scourge upon the earth. I cling to the hope that it will one day fall out of favor, but at this point that's about as likely as "American Idol" producing a "musician" I can actually stomach.
Heck, I come from a family of nine, and I say, don't be judgemental about something you've never experienced. All you can imagine is eight whiny brats who need their diapers changed every half-hour, who then become eight sulky teenagers. But your imagination is leaving out all the highlights.
I don't want to sound sentimental and all that, there are hard times, but it's altogether a great experience, and you need to realize that just because you imagine something to be horrible, doesn't mean it necessarily is.
Yeah like Fox News haha. Cool cartoon. One thing though don't you mean "dribble"?
Is their a naked woman in the woman's hair? Or am I just a perv?
Re: people with many many many many childrens....
I think the captioned photo that I've seen sums it up beautifully. (I think I might have even found it linked through your blog.) It showed a family with like 20 kids and the caption read: "A vagina is not a clown car."
People who grow up in these big families always have issues. Just look at the Osmonds.
This reality TV trend kind of reminds me of the movie “Idiocracy” http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0387808/trailers
@ sheer.nothingness...
I've had intelligent, creative friends who watch those things, too. Very puzzling.
@NumberNine...
I think the experience of the children in huge families is far different from that of the parents. It also depends on a person's disposition. Some people enjoy parenting more than others.
@Anonymous...
"drivel" means nonsense, "dribble" is the act of releasing liquid slowly.
@Nowax...
not intentionally, but I find if you concentrate hard enough you can see a naked woman anywhere.
Senor Piraro:
Happy to have googled your blog. I consider you a first-string cartoonist, shoulder to shoulder with Bill Watterson, Garry Trudeau. Pat Oliphant and David Suter when he was "happening" (what happened to him...?). You are a cut above. Thanks!
BTW, you might be interested in the website "Cats That Look Like Hitler":
http://www.catsthatlooklikehitler.com/cgi-bin/seigmiaow.pl
"drivel" means nonsense, "dribble" is the act of releasing liquid slowly.
And "driddle" is what my mom called it when I peed my pants. I'll leave it to your imagination as to when I stopped hearing that term.
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