The Real Housewives of Wherever has always been an entertaining reality show but somewhere along the line, we all (self-included) started taking it all a little too serious.
What happened? When did we (all) cross this line? When did everyone stop being objective and start taking sides to the point of throwing all common sense, compassion and friendship out the door? (And please, let’s not kid ourselves saying we’re loyal to our cast member because then we sound 12.)
Being a fan of this show has recently been taken to a whole new level. In case you are somehow able to hide from this nonsense, a cast member used Twitter to respond to something put out by another cast member. (And let’s not kid ourselves, this particular cast member is always putting things “out there.”) Arguments ensued and the following morning an actual journalist dropped a bomb reporting financials of the cast member that responded. It could have all been merely a coinky-dink, but I sincerely doubt it.
What happened after that literally threw me into a Kelly-sized meltdown and I am still a bit depressed about how disgusting people can be.
On Twitter, my favorite forum for comments, feedback and fun, people were cyber-bullying anyone who thought differently than them. People who were friends were suddenly arguing. Some were posting people’s home addresses, and not just the actual Real Housewives (not that it’s ok!), but real civilians. Some people made jokes that some humorless people took seriously. Some people misquoted folks and some people posted stories that were later revealed to be untrue.
The worst part? We were all trying to justify how others were going too far but not looking at ourselves. We all got so blinded by our cause and our misplaced loyalty that we failed to realize that none of this has absolutely any bearing on our real lives, whatsoever. We’ve also missed the fact that nothing is ever what it seems on TV or in the tabloids. As Jennifer Gilbert succinctly put it, “There are three sides to every story: yours, mine and the truth.”
So why all of this hate? What is the point, unless of course you just need an outlet for your anger as I’ve seen in some of the hate-themed blogs? Why spend your precious time spreading how awful these people are when you can just turn the channel, or pick up a book or even better yet, go live your own life? Plus, if we were all checking and citing our sources for all of this nonsense, we would be journalists!! But we’re not. We are fans and bloggers looking for stimulating entertainment and collaboration.
Because of my financial status right now I feel I’m watching more TV than ever before and I haven’t stopped watching this show since last June. (The economy is hitting us all in different ways!) I’ve been with these ladies a long time and will probably still watch the show, but I can no longer metabolize it the way I have for a year now. I can’t let a TV show that doesn’t even pay me affect my life and/or rule my conversations anymore.
In the words of Vickie Gunvalson, “It used to be FUN.”
Let’s not allow a TV show to break us apart as women. We need each other and should be banding together rather than tweeting our enemy’s home addresses and/or telling them to die.
A Pillow Or A Person
11 years ago
