Questioning Honey Boo Boo

  Here Comes Honey Boo Boo is both hilarious and alarming. We find a guilty pleasure in the amusement of such a ridiculous family but I question the positive and negative effects of the show. The show seems to exploit country people, drawing on stereotypes to entertain the rest of the country. Furthermore, as the only reality show based in the south that comes to my mind (and probably the same applies to many others), it subconsciously plays a part in the way I imagine people from the south to be. 

With seemingly no education, a pregnant teenager, and an overweight mom, we find comedy in the absurdity of such a lifestyle. By presenting such representations (especially without another source of contradicting representation) small town people from the south are portrayed as silly and dumb. The show even uses subtitles to help the audience understand what members of the family are saying. The perpetuation of this “redneck” persona is only further exasperated by economic, social and class issues. McIntyre, the town the show is shot in, is said to be portrayed inaccurately as the show focuses on images implying poverty such as old garbage dumps and junk cars. The idea of the show itself reflects the exploitation of the child for capital that the family also benefits from at the expense of ruining any chance of the child or themselves being taken seriously.

In the words of online bloggers, TLC is the ultimate “human shaming” channel. The family is either too stupid to realize how they are are being portrayed on the show or too willing and desperate for fame and money that they take a part in shaming themselves. Either way, by watching the show, we support these capitalist antics. Even more alarmingly, we ignore the major social issues that the show presents us with by laughing about them.

While I feel this way to an extent, another part of me feels it is important for Americans who do not deal with such poverty to see these types of images and families. However, by just presenting the issues in a mocking way, the show brushes over these issues. While it seems horrible to watch a show to mock the people on it, the family seems happy and love each other which are things we can actually aspire for. Perhaps it teaches us that despite certain differences, families unlike our own are capable of  such love and happiness. We can even relate to the family at times, though this fact is often masked by things the family says or does that we would never do, such as farting constantly on television. I ultimately feel the negative stereotypes and the exploitation of a family that represents a type of people outweigh the positives of the show.