The article Jon and Kate I Hate is about celebrities over the years and how they are portrayed in media outlets. The author points out that “the celebrity in the nineteenth century often was constructed from actual, historical source material and then fashioned by the popular book or magazine of the time into something unique or special” (Hoppenstand, 2010, pg. 1). He then discusses how media beginning in the twentieth century has become less about the quality of material being delivered in the story and more about the celebrity’s ability to act in front of the camera. After World War II, radio, movies, and television shows became more about what the viewer wanted to hear or see so celebrities became more beautiful and the story lines became less noteworthy. Now, in the twenty first century reality television shows like Jon and Kate Plus Eight have taken over America’s televisions and celebrities within these types of shows have absolutely no talent or quality to their story lines whatsoever. The truth of the matter is that many Americans tune into shows like these for the drama and to figure out what the next idiotic thing these celebrities are going to do or say on national television. Hoppenstand then establishes that Americans are to blame for the “quality” of shows that are now splattered on almost every network. “Our fascination with people and events that have no value or merit other than sensational nonsense is the root cause of the problem. If nobody watched Jon and Kate perform as Jon and Kate then they would not exist in our own reality in any meaningful way” (Hoppenstand, 2010, pg. 2). In other words the author believes that if Americans chose to watch shows that had substance to them rather than watch shows with drama and half naked people on them, the shows on television would be of much better quality.
Reference
Reference
Hoppenstand, G. (2010). Editorial: Jon and Kate I hate. The Journal of Popular Culture, 43, 1-2.
I understand where the writer is coming from concerning the American public dictating the types of shows on TV; however, I have a different thought process. I think people watch these shows because they need to see that it’s okay not to be perfect; that it’s okay to fail. When people see this on TV I think they feel better about themselves.
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Lisa Theis-Juniper
Reality tv is a way for people to get their 15 minutes of fame for doing nothing special. I didn't watch Jon and Kate Plus 8, but I heard bout it alot when they got a divorce and saw her on the cover of every tabloid magazine. I think Lisa put it best that people feel better about themselves when they see other people fail or are worse off than themselves.
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