Some interesting points about reality tv

Quote from Dr. Laura Schlesinger, "Reality TV is Child Abuse"



"The children in any and all of these family reality shows are being abused and I can’t understand why Child Protective Services does not see fit to act to protect these children from the juvenile and selfishly exploitive motivations of their parents who are using their children like circus animals, to entertain the base instincts of an audience.

I think we should consider as “abuse”: having a minor child’s personal home life exposed on television for entertainment purposes; having a minor child’s inherent right to privacy breached…by their own parents!; having a minor child’s normal behaviors and emotional responses to family and life stresses perverted by the needs of producers and parents for “good television” – children will, of course, be pressured to be entertaining - that immediately distorts normal dynamics; the minor child exposed publicly and on tape.

This will certainly come back to haunt them in the future as people will form opinions about them which are based on these contrived and “unreal” extraordinary circumstances. Their futures likely will be negatively impacted by this exposure and humiliation.
Bottom line, the minor child’s welfare is clearly not the top concern of their parents, who are exploiting the dependency, love and innocence of their own children for an opportunity to be “celebrities.”
Please don’t give me the argument that any money that might be earned from the television experience or interviews or appearances, book deals, or endorsements are for their college fund. That would mean that damage we do to children today is okay as long as there is some long term financial benefit.
It is not enough to argue that these children have their parents’ permission – parents cannot legally pimp their children, yet this is precisely what is going on here.
The privacy and dignity of these children have been stripped from them. They are hawked by cameras as their so-called parents push the envelope farther than any responsible, loving, protective parent should, in an attempt to gain ratings and increase celebrity status. These children are left to deal with disturbing private matters in a public forum with the sole purpose being entertainment.
Certainly, there can be no pretense at education or spiritual elevation. This is pure, unconscionable, abuse of parental power and influence. "



Note that this article was written in 2004, before the G's had a show. It was not written by a "jealous hater" of the Gosselins. Also, I am not a total follower or in agreement with everything that Dr. S says-- but I do feel she makes some very good points on this issue.