For Halloween this year, I decided to be pop-culture savvy and abandon my traditional "walk of shame" costume (short shorts, oversized t-shirt, messy hair and smeared makeup -- it's easy and fun!) and go as Kate Gosselin. That's my dear friend Alex on the right, as Jon (complete with Ed Hardy shirt.)
It was a funny costume, mainly because anyone who has seen me and Alex interact for extended periods of time can draw parallels between us and the Gosselins. But there's something to be said for the fact that Jon and Kate have pervaded the public mindset so much that they've been reduced to Halloween costumes. Trying to pull this costume together, I Googled "Kate Gosselin wig" and got 6 million hits. When your hairstyle is a national inside joke, you know something's wrong.
The Gosselins and their probably deeply disturbed brood are part of a phenomenon that my COMM 411H class likes to call "humilitainment" -- entertainment based solely on someone else's embarrassment. Humilitainment is nothing new -- after all, laughing at other people's foibles and falls from grace is about as human as it gets -- but these days it's everywhere, from the horrible audition episodes of American Idol to the Numa Numa dance to Mark Sanford's delightfully batty press conference confessing his infidelity.
In a lot of ways, the media is to blame for the pervasiveness of humiliation-fueled entertainment -- they basically capitalize on one of our basest instincts by offering up a heaping platter of shows featuring people so depraved they make us feel better about ourselves. At least we're not overweight train wrecks with poor singing skills and failed marriages, we say to ourselves. At least we're not as stupid as Paris Hilton or as messed up as the addicts on "Intervention."
I'm not sure what the solution to humilitainment is. I'm not sure if there is one, if only because watching people make fools of themselves is a grand tradition that would require a collective worldwide effort to stop. I do think that shows that really capitalize on human failure -- like "Jackass" and dreck like "Charm School" -- are unnecessary. If reality television is what we need to prove to ourselves that we're better than the unwashed masses, maybe we're not so much better than them after all.
Thoughts? Questions? Comments? Solutions? Post 'em in the comment section, please.
I guess I've never thought of the trend going on in today's reality television -- the fact that we're making other people's humiliation our entertainment. But I guess the real question is, should we stop? Aubrey, thank you for enlightening me on this new term of yours, it is definitely something that we see all too much on TV these days.
ReplyDeleteI would allege there's nothing wrong with humilitainment as long as it's not trying to pass itself off as quality. A Best Reality Show category at the Emmys? That's an unnecessary and depressing byproduct of our modern world. But Paris Hilton's debut CD? A sublime and innocuous piece of pop trash.
ReplyDeleteWhen the schlock in our lives recognizes it's schlock and embraces it, you get fun stuff like Paris Hilton's My New BFF or America's Next Top Model. When it tries to parade around with an air of legitimacy -- Kate Gosselin's teary Today show interviews, for instance -- that's when it all falls apart.
I'm not looking for pop culture to be my tutor in the ways of morality. I'm looking for it to have some fun at its own expense. When it's no longer willing (able?) to laugh at itself, something's rotten in the state of Denmark.
I've never understood how people can honestly enjoy humiliation-based entertainment as much as they do. Isn't there always a silver lining of guilt, or am I hopelessly old-fashioned? Sure, I get a chuckle out of stupid YouTube videos as much as anyone else, but I feel that nationally orchestrated entertainment campaigns based solely on schadenfreude say more about the audience than the entertainment. Maybe it's just a clever endless cycle of humilitainment, building guilt from enjoying humilitainment, carefully timed release of that guilt (for example, Susan Boyle), followed immediately by more humilitainment.
ReplyDeleteI was actually just thinking about this last night. I was watching the new a cappella singing show, The Sing-Off, of which Nick Lachey is the host, and I thought about the reality show he had on MTV with Jessica Simpson when they were married. I never watched it, so I don't know why it even crossed my mind, but I just thought...how sad. Aside from the fact that these shows are humiliating, they actually have the potential to hurt the lives of the people they profile. Nick and Jessica are no more, and now Jon and Kate have split. It's not like I care. I'm not really one for pop culture, but it is something to think about.
ReplyDeleteThis is nothing new, nor is it a societal issue. Look back to court jesters; they were nothing more than entertaining fools.
ReplyDeleteThen take a look at Charlie Chaplin films. They were all about laughing at human downfall.
"Humilitainment" is just accessible to a larger audience these days.
Much like Terry said I don't think there's anything really wrong with Humilitainment, especially because I feel above all people have to have a sense of humor about themselves. We all do embarrassing things and when you're a public fugure those things are going to be seen by many more people.
ReplyDeleteAt the same time I think that there is a time and place for "Humilitainment", and often that should not be during the 6 p.m. news. There is so much going on in the world that people should be aware of -- from famine and war to the health care struggle and economy -- and that is what should be talked and discussed during prime news hours. Gossip and pop culture follies should be left to those who excel in that area -- channels such as MTV and VH1 and reality shows.
The pervasiveness is disturbing and the media is to blame. Very nice analytical blog post -- I wish there was more of this easily findable on the Web.
ReplyDeleteVery nice job making this analytical and entertaining. I feel it's quite a talent to do that without getting too rambly.
ReplyDeleteWhile it is annoying, people do put themselves out there for this humilitainment, and if they keep going and doing interviews and guest spots on The View etc. then I feel it's to a point where they're just acting like 3 year olds who want all the attention from their other siblings. No matter what we're going to do, it's always going to be there. Like Terry, I give an example: The collusium. Ok, so maybe not the best thing, but it had to be humiliating to be eaten by a lion or slaughtered by a soldier while everyone cheered on the fact that you were categorized as a failure at life, ora potential for excellent humilitainment.
I digress, as usual, but I think you get what I mean since you are so eloquent in your blogging.