adambozarth:

jonbershad:

soupsoup:

The Honey Boo Boo Boom

How does a show that draws so much negative commentary online draw such a massive television audience? 

I talked to Rich Juzwiak, staff writer at Gawker about the phenomenon of ”Here Comes Honey Boo Boo” and how negative online buzz often means positive ratings.

There sure are a lot of sad and defensive rationalizations in this video. None of them are from the clips of the show.

I’m sorry, this is the 21st century freak show and you can say whatever the fuck you want about it being “positive” but you’re still an asshole throwing peanuts at the Elephant Man.

Bloggers are paid by the page view, and one thing they have all learned is that people love to click on articles that trash stuff they hate rather than articles that are enthusiastic about things they enjoy (Unless it’s about Louis CK). Blogs love it when everyone hates something, because your fascination with how these people get famous makes money for the people that make them famous. Would you have ever heard of Honey Boo Boo if some dumb blog didn’t lift a clip from Toddlers and Tiaras? You know, that show only bloggers watched? I bet they are shitting themselves dry that they managed to create a TV sensation and continue their parasitic symbiosis. 

Also, the idea that any reality show is “raw” is asinine. These shows are as raw as a thawed microwave dinner. Any sort of authenticity is cut out of these shows to cram in nonsense story lines. If you want a “raw” show, you should watch some of those ghost shows on cable, where you the viewer get to waste an entire evening listening to nothing happen.

But then there is that classic defense. It’s a trainwreck, you can’t look away. You know why you can’t look away from a trainwreck? They are rare. Has anyone ever seen a real trainwreck? There’s like 1 ever 5 years on the news. There are a lot more human trainwrecks in the world, and most of us are lucky if we aren’t one. Having a fucked-up life isn’t all that special any more, and having a lack of manners is what Americans do best. 

Watching trainwreck after trainwreck for entertainment never exposes you to any sort of human drama you could reflect on or a new idea to ponder. All it does is exercise your hate and judgement. If you want to be the kind of person who’s really good at pointing out why things suck, then happy watching. 

No one writes angry screeds about assholes like Adam does.