Truth, Justice, and the TLC Way

There are things that divide us in this country. Some people think the new universal healthcare plan is what we've been waiting for while others think it's Armageddon in a box. Some people are all in favor of Cash for Clunkers, some think it's going to kill the country. There are those who like Rascal Flatts and then there are those who do not (and never the twain shall meet).

But I think there are certain things that everyone can agree upon, things that draw us together as a nation - things like the pursuit of happiness, things like Truth, Justice, and the fact that Jon and Kate Gosselin need to get the heck off of TV.



Seriously, the ongoing saga of the ever-disintegrating relationship between these two people and the eight other lives bound up together with them has left even the realm of the lurid and just become pathetic, petty, and sad.

The most recent development, detailed here, is just another stop on the downward train to Therapyville for the Plus Eight. These two people just need to get out of the public eye, stop profiting off their children, and focus on being decent human beings.

I guess people are dividing into "Team Kate" or "Team Jon" but I can't get behind either of them. I've hated Kate Gosselin almost from the first moment I saw her. I couldn't believe how rude, dismissive, and bossy she was when it came to her husband. I wouldn't treat a dog the way she treated him and I often found myself cursing her under my breath, unable to believe the seeming utter lack of basic respect and kindness for her spouse.



Jon was never interesting. He's just kind of a lump of a human being, not terribly smart, not talented, certainly not very dynamic. He's the sort of guy that never would have come to anyone's attention except for the freakish turn of events resulting in his wife having so many kids. So I find it kind of lame that suddenly there's talk of him starting a clothing line, that the news makes a point of mentioning that he buys $900 shoes, that our celebrity-crazed-media-driven culture has somehow made him famous for basically leaving his family.

It's clear that Jon and Kate are going to ride out their show until it turns to dust and bones beneath them. They are not going to say, "You know what, even though this money is nice, the publicity has irreparably damaged my marriage, the fame is making it hard for me to have a normal emotional life, and I worry about my kids' well being amid all this chaos - I think we should call it quits."

It's equally clear that TLC isn't going to pull the plug on its golden goose either. It is a business, after all, and businesses are built to make money. It's possible the producers and execs worry about the kids on the show but you can bet none of them are going say, "I know this is our highest rated show and that we're blowing other cable networks out of the water with it, but we should just do the right thing and put a stop to this train wreck."

The only thing I can do is not watch. That's pretty much the only way I can register my disapproval. Maybe if enough people get turned off by a witch, a tool, and eight innocent kids in the process of getting royally messed up, the show will get canceled and the Gosselins can spend more time thinking about being decent and less time worrying about what tabloid cover they're featured on that week.