TLC - pimps for the fundies?

[salsa]

We've snarked plenty about Kody, Duggars, Bates,Honey-Boo-Boo, and now My 5 Wives. Fair enough; they put themselves out there and agreed to showcase their lifestyles on tv.

My beef is TLC seeking out real-life families who happen to be different from the majority of American culture and painting it in a picture-pretty way. Granted, TLC is not going to broadcast a reality show unless the subjects are willing participants, but hell's bells! TLC chooses some extremists and seems to think that they're edumacating people.

I appreciate learning about other lifestyles, but it seems to me that TLC exploits the fascination that a lot of people have with extremes.TLC gets their money, the families get their money, the advertisers pay for air time and get money through increased product sales and the consumers get screwed with scintillation, but, ultimately, little overall satisfaction - and if anything, a general pissed-offedness.

To be clear: I'm not excusing any of the families who let TLC broadcast their lives - if you put yourselves in the public eye, the public eye will salaciously look for more.

I'm just thinking that TLC seizes opportunities for "helping" people. If your financial ends don't meet and you've got a product to sell (fundamentalism, or childhood pageants, or dance moms), some will take the money.

[socalrules]

TLC is just the freak show network. They choose people that are different. They don't want the classic Norman Rockwell family. They want what would be strange to most people. They want you to have 11 kids by 9 different baby mamas and daddies you support by baking pies during the day and working the pole at night to start your own bakery. The Little Couple is really the only show on TLC with good, decent people who do not have crazy issues. They are the wholesome family the Duggars tried to proclaim themselves to be.

[kpmom]

I used to like TLC's A Baby Story and a Wedding Story.

The people in those stories were having babies or getting married regardless of TLC being there, so it didn't feel so scripted like current reality t.v. is.

It was interesting to see how different people experienced those events.

But, I feel like TLC thought they caught lightening in a bottle with the Duggars (at least until recently) and keep trying to repeat it.

But, TLC is a business and they're going to go after whatever brings them ratings I suppose. I guess weird brings in ratings.

[2xx1xy1JD]

TLC, regardless of what the "L" originally stood for, is not in the business of education. They are not PBS, they survive by getting advertising dollars, and viewers seem to be demanding shows with ever-more-dramatic points to keep their interest.

ALL reality shows are scripted. I know someone who was on A Baby Story. TLC selected them in part because they weren't typical (Orthodox Jewish family doing a home water birth), and added in narration and timed the breaks in a way to make it more dramatic than it was.

Here's a thread about it on imamother. The mom pops into the discussion on page 7, and talks about her reasons for choosing to be on A Baby Story on page 14. www.imamother.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t ... sc&start=0

I also know someone who was on "Rich Bride Poor Bride". The narration was so snarky and they really twisted things to make the father of the bride look bad. The whole thing was embarrassing.

"What NOT to Wear" wasn't too bad. Yes, they shame people for bad wardrobe choices, but they at least built them up a bit by the end of the show, and gave some practical suggestions. Mayim Bialik discusses her experience with WTNTW here: www.tabletmag.com/jewish-life-and-relig ... 2/wardrobe Yes, there was editing. Yes, they left out some parts where she objected to some of the final outfits. Yes, despite that, she was still happy she did the show and found some suggestions useful. [Although she subsequently found more fame as the very badly dressed Amy on The Big Bang Theory, so YMMV.]

[Maggie Mae]

TLC is the modern day equivalent of a circus sideshow/freakshow. They have the little people, the fat people, the people who will eat household items, people with different religious beliefs than the majority, people with uncommon diseases, people who claim to know the future, and I believe there was or is a show about extremely tall people in the works.Also

If people weren't interested in looking at people who are "freakishly different," TLC would go back to a thousand episodes of "a _____ story," followed by shows about a somewhat attractive carpenter who helps a snarky decorator complete a poorly thought out budgeted remodel.

I often say I want reality tv to die. But it is conversation fodder.

I hated "what not to wear." They rarely took people's style or life style into consideration, instead trying to cram everyone into a box that usually contained a pencil skirt and heels.

[Maggie Mae]

I should say, I loved to hate on "what not to wear." The hosts were mean. It was repetitive. It was entertaining.

[sawasdee]

I live in Asia. Where TLC is positioned on my cable choices, I thought it stood for The Living Channel - you know, decorating, lifestyle,fashion, food - that it stood for The Learning Channel is.......surprising?

[2xx1xy1JD]

Ok, the shoe suggestions on What Not to Wear did bother me. I don't own a pair of pointy-toed shoes, and never plan to buy any. My natural toes are wide, not pointy, and foot pain is not sexy.

[TXGirlInAMaterialWorld]

I used to LOVE TLC's A Wedding Story! I moved to college in the 90's never having lived in a house with a TV, let alone cable. I would go back to the dorm everyday for lunch and watch A Wedding Story in the TV Room.

It was like watching fairy tales to me. The way they made the weddings all about the bride and groom was very foreign to me. It was so romantic! I can still remember all the words to the theme song.....

:D

[Becket70]

When you look at the weekly head-to-head network ratings, TLC does not fare well. I don't know what their goals are or if they are just satisfied to be a pretty lowly rated network, but their ratings are nothing to be proud of. To me, their business model is old and stale. At this point, I watch only two of their shows (The Little Couple and Who Do You Think You Are) and when those shows are not on, which is most of the year, I do not watch TLC. Much to my surprise, one of my favorite networks, HGTV, is a much higher rated network compared to TLC. Is TLC satisfied being a fundy network? Perhaps but they cannot expect their viewership to grow if they stick to fundy-centric programs.

[Idolatry]

So I guess you're not into Say Yes to the Dress?

[Maggie Mae]

Ok, the shoe suggestions on What Not to Wear did bother me. I don't own a pair of pointy-toed shoes, and never plan to buy any. My natural toes are wide, not pointy, and foot pain is not sexy.

I think my problem was that they really didn't get life outside of NYC. I'm not going to wear heels and a structured jacket to pick up groceries on a Saturday. If I ran into my boss or board at Safeway in my running/yoga gear, they wouldn't care. If I wear my running shoes with dress pants, it's because I'm injured and they provide support. Other people can get over their hang ups with my casual outfits. (Boss and clients not included, of course)

I also think the fact that they take everything and leave you with very few clothes was really sad. Most everyone is going to go right back to their bad habits the first time they need an outfit for something specific and they only have four structured jackets, a skirt and a pair of dress pants and one pair of heels... No thanks.

It was entertaining though.

[19 cats and counting]

I think my problem was that they really didn't get life outside of NYC. I'm not going to wear heels and a structured jacket to pick up groceries on a Saturday. If I ran into my boss or board at Safeway in my running/yoga gear, they wouldn't care. If I wear my running shoes with dress pants, it's because I'm injured and they provide support. Other people can get over their hang ups with my casual outfits. (Boss and clients not included, of course)

I also think the fact that they take everything and leave you with very few clothes was really sad. Most everyone is going to go right back to their bad habits the first time they need an outfit for something specific and they only have four structured jackets, a skirt and a pair of dress pants and one pair of heels... No thanks.

It was entertaining though.

This. They seem to have the same formula for everyone no matter what their lifestyle is. I can remember them snarking on a yoga instructor because she had nothing in her wardrobe to go out to a fancy dinner (which is non existent in her lifestyle).

There's a time and place for everything. I work in a fairly casual industry where I can wear jeans and hoodies to work every day. It's what everyone else wears, with the exception being if we have a VIP event, then we all dress up accordingly. I own exactly one blazer, which is used for such events (and funerals). But being female, I can get away with wearing a nice dress without a blazer sometimes too.

One more thing, I'm sorry Stacy and Clinton, but I'm never going to be wearing a blazer and high heels to the grocery store. Are you out of your mind?

[FloraKitty35]

I should say, I loved to hate on "what not to wear." The hosts were mean. It was repetitive. It was entertaining.

I enjoyed that show.

[FloraDoraDolly]

"I Am Jazz" is definitely not a fundie show. It is educational in terms of teaching the general public about transgender kids. But based on the episodes I've seen, I think the pressure is too much for Jazz. She handles her role as a public activist well, but it looks like her mom is pushing her into a lot of it.

Has anyone else watched this show?

[RosyDaisy]

I have watched "I am Jazz" and definitely feel Jazz is under too much pressure. I also get a definite famewhore vibe from her mother.

[19 cats and counting]

TLC is the modern day equivalent of a circus sideshow/freakshow. They have the little people, the fat people, the people who will eat household items, people with different religious beliefs than the majority, people with uncommon diseases, people who claim to know the future, and I believe there was or is a show about extremely tall people in the works.Also

If people weren't interested in looking at people who are "freakishly different," TLC would go back to a thousand episodes of "a _____ story," followed by shows about a somewhat attractive carpenter who helps a snarky decorator complete a poorly thought out budgeted remodel.

I often say I want reality tv to die. But it is conversation fodder.

I hated "what not to wear." They rarely took people's style or life style into consideration, instead trying to cram everyone into a box that usually contained a pencil skirt and heels.

At one point TLC had a show called "The Very Best of the World's Worst Drivers." I don't know what was more of a guilty pleasure--- that or the Duggars. Maybe they need to bring back bad drivers.

[2xx1xy1JD]

So I guess you're not into Say Yes to the Dress?

It's my Friday Cooking Show. I like to have something on while I do a couple of hours of cooking, but it can't require too much attention because I've got a lot to do. With this show, there's no plot to follow, nothing to heavy like the news - just some wedding dresses to see whenever I look up from my chopping and pots.

[salsa]

I never heard of "I am Jazz." But then I haven't gotten tlc for a couple years (in the more expensive cable package and we don't watch much tv).

... so... ok. TLC - likes the extremes. (I thought the little couple broke up?)

[2xx1xy1JD]

I never heard of "I am Jazz." But then I haven't gotten tlc for a couple years (in the more expensive cable package and we don't watch much tv).

... so... ok. TLC - likes the extremes. (I thought the little couple broke up?)

No, it's Amy and Matt Roloff from Little People, Big World that split.

The Little Couple features Jen Arnold and Bill Klein, who appear to be a very nice, functional couple and who seem to parent their adopted children well.

There's also a new show, Our Little Family, plus My Giant Life. Yes, there's a theme here.

I Am Jazz is about a transgender 14 yr old girl named Jazz. It's really quite trans-positive - Jazz is quite "normal" and presents like a girl, and we follow her various family stuff and ups and downs as she makes the transition to being a teen, deals with transphobia and mean comments, tries to figure out how to relate to boys, etc. Reality is a bit less chipper for her than the image in the previews, because she does worry about fitting in, wonders if she'll ever date, and has some teen angst. Compared to other TLC shows, it feels less exploitive than Honey Boo-Boo, which was clearly intended to mock her family, but of course any reality show has some scripting and putting a teen in the spotlight isn't necessarily a good idea. Overall, though, Jazz is still pretty bubbly when she's not deep in angst, and she comes across as sympathetic, not freaky. When anyone says anything mean to her, you naturally feel bad and protective.

[Cleopatra7]

I wouldn't say TLC is a pimp for fundies, but I do think they make extreme lifestyles seem "normal." I'm not talking about the little people shows or the ones involving medical issues, because that's something they face everyday (although one could argue that such shows don't help normalize people who look different or have disabilities), but I don't like how TLC has made Gothardism and the AUB (the Browns' church) seem normal. While the dangers of Gothardism are obvious to most FJers, I also don't like how the extreme beliefs of the AUB are downplayed. While the Browns try to come across as normal people who just happen to have a larger than average family (like the Duggars), they aren't that far removed from the FLDS style of polygamy (if you go to the Politics RU Principle tumblr and see photos and articles of the SW in their younger days, it's obvious that their families have ties to more extreme version of polygamy). Rather than focus on the ridiculous manufactured drama between Kody and SWs, I'd like to see them answer some more substantive questions, like what do they think about black people, since Mormon fundamentalists still hold to the idea that being born with dark skin is a curse for being cowardly in the pre-existence. Of course, TLC would never ask that, and that's part of the problem, just like how it was problematic that 19K&C airbrushed Gothard out of the Duggars' story. These beliefs have real world consequences, and you'd never get that by watching these fluffy shows.

[TXGirlInAMaterialWorld]

I really like TLC shows that focus on a variety of people/families rather than following the same families year after year. It got boring seeing a lot of the same junk on every episode of 19KAC. The ironic part is that it just started to get a bit more interesting right before all the scandals started to hit.

I loved the show Kids by the Dozen. Being from a large family myself, I loved seeing how other families lived. A lot of it made me mad because I saw how many of the parents were not taking care of their children's physical and emotional needs as individuals.

[slickcat79]

I'm pretty sure most people are on TLC because they sought the network out. Networks get shows pitched to them all the time by people searching for their 15 minutes. Seeing what happens to most reality show families on TLC, I'm not sure why anyone would want to risk it, but some people are just out for $$ and/or fame. Or maybe they think they will be the family that breaks the mold, and will be totally fine and normal and still the same after reality TV invades their lives.

[FloraDoraDolly]

I have watched "I am Jazz" and definitely feel Jazz is under too much pressure. I also get a definite famewhore vibe from her mother.

I think it goes beyond that. The mom seems to bask in the reflected glory she gets from being Jazz's mother. People are always telling her how wonderful and accepting she is for raising Jazz the way that she did, how they're the ideal family for dealing with a trans kid, etc. The dad, OTOH, seems more like he's just along for the ride. I don't think doing a reality TV show was his idea.

[mickey2942]

I agree on Jazz. Has Jazz actually been encouraged to this, because of the Mother?

And the Fundies, anyone with half a brain can see how dysfunctional their lives are.