The CW Network is trying to increase ratings by putting B, C, and D list celebrities on camera to confront their bullies. Showing washed up reality TV stars sand low list celebrities trying to reveal their true identity to their "attackers" just gives bullying a bad name. One of the episode in particular I find to be quite offensive: The Snooki Episode. Snooki confronts her bully saying, “I just saw you rant about me. What is wrong with you? You have no idea who I am as a person.” Wait - I'm sorry, who doesn't hate Snooki a little bit? She has only made a fool of herself on national television multiple seasons in a row, has been arrested for public intoxication, and gives Italian Americans in general a bad name. But, Reality TV is supposed to be real isn't it? So why shouldn't the world think of you (Snooki) as that type of person and why shouldn't we dislike you for it? The confrontation and reconciliation that occurs on H8R is far from what happens in real life and does nothing to help the real victims of bullies.
In the real world things are messier. Scared, helpless victims of bullying hardly ever confront and resolve problems with their attacker, and viewing this show won't provide actual help and advice to those who need it most. If one is looking for a more realistic picture of bullying I suggest turning to Glee. While Barnes dumps the show into the list of reality programs I mentioned above, Glee deserves to be in a class of its own. While the spontaneous musical numbers and ridiculous characters scare some people away, the issues creator Ryan Murphy addresses are real and heartfelt. In season 2, Kurt (played by Chris Colfer), terrorized by a homophobic bully is so traumatized by it that he has to transfer schools - not even the glee club could help him stand up to his bully. Murphy takes the storyline a step further by exposing the weak side of the bully, showing that he is really the one who is insecure and afraid. When Kurt returns to McKinley at the end of season 2 and confronts his attacker with kind words and a helping hand, the bully accepts and they become friends. While I realize this resolution is definitely not what happens with most bullying cases in the real world, Glee is certainly more truthful than H8R.
How much does the CW network really want to help victims stand up to their bullies? I don't think very much. While the show did decline Hiedi and Spencer Pratt's ('The Hills') demand for a "six-figure appearance fee" others guests such as Eva Longoria and Kim Kardashian hardly have anything in common with real life victims of bullying. Part of being a celebrity comes with the acceptance of haters because not everyone can be liked by everyone, and passing that dislike off as bullying just isn't right. If the CW must broadcast a show about bullying they should focus on helping actual victims, instead of passing celebrities off as them.
Great post, I definitely agree with the point you've made here. Although many of us would like to think we have things in common with celebrities, in reality none of us can imagine what life in the limelight is like--I certainly cannot. There is no denying that there is a downside to stardom, especially considering there is a whole industry devoted to unearthing their deepest darkest secrets and exposing the nitty gritty details of their lives. Still they have whole teams-publicists, agents, etc-to handle their image and the "bullying" that comes many times in the form of negative press. They aren't bullied, its part of the job. Watching Snookie "stand up to" her bully isn't going to help any seventh grader stand up to the boy who is calling her a fatty on the school bus, or the mean girl who is spreading rumors through twitter. Most kids know who their bullys are, where for celebrities they are just a blip on the radar. I give the CW a B- for effort and a D for execution. Its hurting their reputation as a television network at this point.
ReplyDeleteI've been wanting to comment on this for some time now...loved this post! Although it's important that television and media are shedding light upon the importance of anti-bullying and how bullying genuinely has a negative affect on a person, the way they are going about it (especially with this show) is not the right way. I feel as the though the new CW show ,"H8R" ,gives celebrities the opportunity to redeem themselves and in a way tackle any misconceptions that are put out there that may damage their image. Along with becoming a public figure who is always in the limelight, the backlash of so called "haters" comes along with it. This is where the saying "you win some, you lose some" come into play. Not everybody is going to like you, and that's alright. What bothers me about this show is that Kim Kardashian or Snookie don't have to deal with their "hater" on a daily basis, face-to-face. Take a normal person who is actually getting bullied and you have a different story. Those who get bullied, often times deal with their "hater" on a daily basis, something that these celebrities don't do. If CW or other networks want to bring light to bullying, then they should take real life people and circumstances into consideration.
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