Where can I find me some "Go-Go Juice"?

What a tragic cultural document, made all the more horrifying when you consider millions of human beings watch this as "entertainment" 

You've got to love the irony of a shambling blob of diabetes claiming she's not hurting her child by force-feeding her sugar.

Also, I don't think I'll be able to take child pagents seriously any longer if such an unattractive child can win so many.

Quote:

Originally Posted by TCD 

You've got to love the irony of a shambling blob of diabetes claiming she's not hurting her child by force-feeding her sugar.

 

Also, I don't think I'll be able to take child pagents seriously any longer if such an unattractive child can win so many.

It really ruins the integrity of such a fine endeavor, doesn't it?

As fucked as this whole thing is, is there a bigger asshole on TV than fucking Dr. Drew?

How anyone can just sit there and watch this trainwreck of a mother and child--AND THEN LAUGH LIKE IT'S ALL A JOKE--is why I just watched the trailer for God Bless America and felt totally at ease with the casual killing.

I don't want to throw around terms like "victim-blaming," but it seems to me that these shows are symptoms of larger issues with our culture, both in how we respond to things and how we are marketed to.

As for Toddlers and Tiaras, I've seen more than a couple of episodes; my fiancee watches it and we have a studio apartment. It's a show that frequently turns my stomach, but there are some parents and kids on the show that are remarkably well-adjusted and smart. There are a number of episodes where children aren't allowed to participate in the pagents because they're being bratty, and there are parents who do it because their kids want to -- not because they're forcing their daughter into it. 

And if we live in a culture where we reward athletes for being naturally athletic, or people for being naturally smart, why shouldn't girls that are naturally pretty take advantage of that? There have been a number of studies done and books written attesting to that -- that like being athletic, or smart comes with monetary rewards through the course of ones life, so does beauty. 

Did you read my post? I wasn't addressing the clip, save my first paragraph, but the show in general.

Yea, but kids that age don't have the mental capacity to really understand what it is they are doing. They just want to be 'pretty' but the world view they are getting at that age is warped. Its like child actors, either they grow up to be rich and famous which will generally ruin most kids, or they fail and they spend the rest of their lives not feeling good enough for the world.

I have always felt that beauty pagents should be for girls 16 and up, because at least by that point they can make the decision for themselves while at least having the intelligence to understand what they are getting into.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Leonard 

And if we live in a culture where we reward athletes for being naturally athletic, or people for being naturally smart, why shouldn't girls that are naturally pretty take advantage of that? There have been a number of studies done and books written attesting to that -- that like being athletic, or smart comes with monetary rewards through the course of ones life, so does beauty. 

To be honest, we don't reward athletes for being athletic, nor others for being naturally smart.  We reward athletes for entertaining us, just as we do with singers and actors, etc.  Having talent isn't enough, you have to do something with it.  Having intelligence isn't enough, you have to do something productive with it.  There are tons of people out there with natural talent that don't use it for one reason or another, and even more who do but just aren't good enough to make a living doing so.

Being pretty isn't valuable in and of itself, as these pageants would have those competitors believe.  That's why many of them don't get paid for winning, they're not making the organizers any money with their "talent" and "beauty."  Now, if they grow up to become models who use their looks to sell clothes and makeup (and cars, apparently), then they'll get some compensation.  But in the meantime they'll develop warped ideas about their self-worth based on their looks that will likely lead to social issues in the years to come.

Ugh her mom is super gross.

Oh you totally would, Jake.

with a bus.

Something has gone wrong with her. Like, genetically. Her body is not put together properly at the DNA level. She's like a Seth MacFarlane cartoon come to terrifying life.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gabe T 

As fucked as this whole thing is, is there a bigger asshole on TV than fucking Dr. Drew?

Certainly not. 

He was on some show deriding celebrity culture for denying Whitney Houston proper rehabilitation and aiding in her relapse and death. And I thought, "You know what? That's a good point and I'm glad someone went on TV to say it. Also, you pay people to go to rehab and then put it on TV for monies. FUCK YOU."