Althouse: "I have no problem with people in this country trying to earn a profit..."

December 7, 2012

"I have no problem with people in this country trying to earn a profit..."

"... but I would ask them: Would they do this to their own children, in their own neighborhood, in their own home state?"

Leave West Virginia alone!

57 comments:

rhhardin said...: It's entertainment, I assume of women.

A more destructive example is MSM news.; 12/7/12, 11:15 AM
chickelit said...: It's only a mirror unless there's fabrication involved. In the hands of urban-firsters, there usually is some fabrication involved.; 12/7/12, 11:17 AM
tiger said...: Bread & circuses and entertainment aimed at the lowest common denominator.

What's next? 'I'd Buy That For A Dollar'?; 12/7/12, 11:19 AM
buwaya said...: Making young people misbehave on camera and then profiting from it pretty much describes most of the entertainment industry these days.; 12/7/12, 11:24 AM
buwaya said...: Making young people misbehave on camera and then profiting from it pretty much describes most of the entertainment industry these days.; 12/7/12, 11:25 AM
damikesc said...: Like NYC has anybody that one can mock.

Perish the thought.

Sen. Joe --- no, they will never actually hold up their peers to the ridicule they richly deserve.; 12/7/12, 11:25 AM
Synova said...: The theme today is people who make their big bucks off of humiliating and tricking other people for entertainment?

Would you do it to your own children? No, probably not. Well that's not true, celebrity after celebrity puts their kids on their reality show. Does anyone really believe these are real? I don't watch them so I couldn't say. Don't they stage the drama and the fights?; 12/7/12, 11:28 AM
Renee said...: They wanted to do the same up here in Massachusetts, called 'Wicked Summer'. Many people did not welcome the idea in the community.

"The open casting is looking for, "...blue collar, hard working, harder partying, tough talking, damn good-looking Mass natives from all over the state..." The casting site also is written in a stereotypical view of how Bostonians supposedly speak, leaving out the letter R in many instances. "

We actually do speak like that, but I detest the idea about toughness. Toughness is not a value, it destroys our communities.; 12/7/12, 11:31 AM
Menahem Globus said...: I think you cross the 'Children' threshold when you are talking about people in their twenties.

And didn't Cooter from 'The Dukes of Hazzard' have a similar complaint about another reality show a few years back? (The actor turned Democrat politician who played Cooter, I mean.); 12/7/12, 11:35 AM
Sydney said...: What kind of shameful behavior are they talking about? Hillbilly heroine? Deliverance type sex or trailer trash sex?; 12/7/12, 11:37 AM
Synova said...: They could set a reality show in Minnesota and do a casting call for "stoic introverts who do their chores."; 12/7/12, 11:39 AM
Synova said...: Breaking Bad, of course, is the pride and joy of Albuquerque.; 12/7/12, 11:40 AM
damikesc said...: They could set a reality show in Minnesota and do a casting call for "stoic introverts who do their chores."

Set one in Florida and have a casting call for tourists.

Or do Jersey Shore again, focus on Atlantic City, and do a casting call for 400+ pound people.; 12/7/12, 11:42 AM
Anonymous said...: TLC exploited Amish youth in a similar way. At least the Amish, once understanding that they were used to humiliate their culture, will be accepted back and forgiven by their communities. Most likely with a stronger faith and understanding of the cruelty of the world. The West Virgina kids may not have such a forgiving culture to turn to once the shame and humiliation sets in.; 12/7/12, 11:47 AM
Anonymous said...: The online TLC profile of one of the Amish girls says that she grew up on "Hillbilly Lane". Everyone knows that hillbilly is a term used to degrade white rural people in the same way that nigger is used to degrade black people. Roads in Amish country would more likely be Miller Rd. or something like that.; 12/7/12, 11:51 AM
Anonymous said...: God knows that TLC would not be making a similar show humiliating rebellious muslims who grew up on "Jihadist Lane" and MTV would not make a show that humiliated black urban youth the same way thay do with white appalaichains or suburban italians.; 12/7/12, 12:03 PM
edutcher said...: Hey, they just finished spitting on Jersey, so it's equal time.; 12/7/12, 12:03 PM
sakredkow said...: Nobody should be prohibited from trashing our culture as most of us seem intent on doing. It's apparently an inexorable process that it will take a miracle or catastrophe to reverse in any case.

I see my job as trying to survive most of you for as long as I can. Help people, not hurt them. I have no idea how anyone can fix this mess.

But yeah, I think we're watching our decline.

"The forces of evil have already begun their decisive offensive. You can feel their pressure all around you, and yet your screens are filled with raised glasses and smiling faces. What is the joy about?" - A. Solzhenitsyn; 12/7/12, 12:04 PM
chickelit said...: Is there a TV show that ridicules young urban hipsters?

That I might watch.; 12/7/12, 12:04 PM
sakredkow said...: I speak for no one else but the continuing relevance of Solzhenitsyn asking us what is the joy about makes me want to sob.; 12/7/12, 12:06 PM
Anonymous said...: Not to mention poor little Honey Boo Boo. She might like the limelight now, but she may not like it so much when she is an adult looking back at all of those behaviors sealed on film forever and shots taken at intentionally unflattering angles, all with the intention to make her and her family look as trashy as possible. If they really intended the show to be positive they would edit her in a more flattering way which I am sure they have just as much footage to do. That is not the point though, the point is to humiliate the culture that she comes from.; 12/7/12, 12:12 PM
MadisonMan said...: MTV is thinking that there is no such thing as bad publicity.; 12/7/12, 12:16 PM
Sydney said...: Here's a clip. I watched it with the sound off, so it didn't look that bad to me. Just a bunch of young kids shooting guns, having fun with water toys, 4-wheelers, trucks, tires, and oil cans. With some fighting and boozing and sex mixed in.; 12/7/12, 12:21 PM
gadfly said...: Joe Manchin is all about Joe Manchin. When "Sheets" Byrd died, Joe wiggled things around to put a placeholder into the unfilled term in order to insure that he had a place to go after his gubernatorial term expired. Then he suddenly turned conservative in order to get elected despite a history that included support for cap 'n trade and national healthcare.

After 40% of WV Dems voted for Inmate #11593-051 over Obama in the primaries, Manchin refused to be associated with the president. He even skipped the Charlotte convention.

His self-publicity is reminiscent of West Virginia's faux attention the Abercrombie & Fitch T-shirts.

"Its all relative in West Virginia."

"West Virginia: No Lifeguard at the Gene Pool."

If you grew up in the Mountain State (as I did) and have ever been to Sissonville - there is simply nothing there but boredom. "Buckwild" it is not.; 12/7/12, 12:24 PM
I'm Full of Soup said...: Does Manchin realize it is mostly other young people who comprise these shows' viewers? I assume the viewers enjoy seeing themselves and their own friends' real life antics reflected in the show cast's antics.; 12/7/12, 12:31 PM
hamcentral said...: @chickelit, yes (sort of). It's called "Portlandia." Not reality tv, but extended sketches. The problem is that the target of the satire is in on the joke, so it doesn't cut that deep.; 12/7/12, 12:32 PM
slumber_j said...: Joe Manchin is no Randolph Mantooth.; 12/7/12, 12:33 PM
Unknown said...: "Is there a TV show that ridicules young urban hipsters?"

Almost any sitcom on TV. "New Girl", if you want a halfway decent one.

You can see people from every state behaving badly on camera for money and fame on every channel and every other you tube video.

phx you can remove a few annoying people at Althouse from your life by merely staying away. It's easy.; 12/7/12, 12:34 PM
DADvocate said...: Having lived my entire life in Appalachia, I'm sure I'll find the show BORING!! I did the rolling in a tire thing when I was very young. Not much fun.

There's some factual foundation in the joke that the most common last words of a redneck are "Hold my beer and watch this."; 12/7/12, 12:38 PM
gadfly said...: For a while, West Virginia's tourism ads used the motto: "Wild and Wonderful" which fits a bit better than "Buckwild."

Check the many beautiful pictures out at the Forest Wander site:

http://www.forestwander.com/2010/11/mill-creek-fall-scene/; 12/7/12, 12:42 PM
Known Unknown said...: Roads in Amish country would more likely be Miller Rd. or something like that.

Yoder Road.; 12/7/12, 12:46 PM
coketown said...: As with Chinese teenagers making poor wages assembling iPhones, "Buckwild!" is probably the greatest prospect these low-skilled idiots could dream of. It's either make some money being MTV's flavor of the month, or smoke crack out of a lightbulb waiting for the second half of your double-wide to arrive--and it'd better be soon, because that's the half that has the house numbers on it, and how will the postman know where to drop off your welfare check?

Why would anyone want to rob these youngsters of a not-glamorous but still lucrative short-term future? Can't people mind their own business? The jerks!; 12/7/12, 12:46 PM
bagoh20 said...: They can do it. People can complain, and watch it or not. That's liberty. Having such crap in our culture is proof of our freedom, and if it's successful, also proof of our poor character. For those who make it, and try to profit from it, their character is already evident. Call them out on it. They are snake oil salesmen, scum profiteers, and parasites, plain and simple.; 12/7/12, 12:53 PM
coketown said...: I stand corrected. I just learned that in the first episode, two of the guys wrestle in the mud to settle a dispute over whose translation of select passages of "In Search of Lost Time" is the more poignant.

This show may rehabilitate West Virginia's reputation in a way that eluded even Robert Byrd.; 12/7/12, 1:01 PM
Strelnikov said...: Manchin just made a hit out of what is probably the usual lowbrow crap.; 12/7/12, 1:08 PM
McTriumph said...: "Buckwild'? I thought it was a show about black gangs in Chicago.; 12/7/12, 1:20 PM
Freeman Hunt said...: “Instead of showcasing the beauty of our people and our state, you preyed on young people, coaxed them into displaying shameful behavior — and now you are profiting from it. That is just wrong.”

Amen.; 12/7/12, 1:21 PM
Eric the Fruit Bat said...: Senator Manchin is way out of touch if he thinks we're still building factories and cities.; 12/7/12, 1:24 PM
Freeman Hunt said...: Well, I don't care about showcasing nice things about the state, but as far as shaming MTV (as if MTV could be shamed!) about exploiting young people, amen.; 12/7/12, 1:26 PM
DADvocate said...: I spend a little time in WV. The best whitewater in the eastern U.S. around Beckley in the Gauley River and New River. Obama's war on coal has hurt the economy, but who cares about that, not enough electoral votes. WV's and its people are great for liberals to make fun of with no repercussions.; 12/7/12, 1:29 PM
Carnifex said...: chicklit said--"Is there a TV show that ridicules young urban hipsters?"

Yes. It's called "Cops", and there is also my favorite..."Bait Car".

As a treat for our reading audience I will transcribe a short dialogue from Bait Car

Exploited urban black youth one:"Shee-it! Cuz'! I can't be being arrested 'gin!"
Exploited urban black youth two:"Shut's up Nigga'! What we gwan' do?"
E.U.B.Y.O:"Gawddamn' Why'd You gots' to steal this mutherfuck'r?"
E.U.B.Y.T:"Ahhh...Fuck me. Da' door hain't werkin'!"
E.U.B.Y.O.:"Mans! I'sa two times loser, Dawg! I's gon' up for reals!"
E.U.B.Y.T.:"Why 'dis mo'fo' stoppin'! C'mons car! Go!"

It's especially edifying when they film in Chicago, and Detroit. Bastions of American learning that they have become under the guidance of democrats.

The good news is that Mongolia's vacay only cost >$100,000's.; 12/7/12, 1:46 PM
Chuck66 said...: They should do a show about Madison. They could feature self-rightous gov't employees (all white of course) sitting around and trying to decide who they hate more, Christians or Jews.; 12/7/12, 1:53 PM
Unknown said...: I expect that Melanin Deficiency Syndrome is a major problem among the targeted young folks.; 12/7/12, 2:04 PM
Dante said...: I wish they would do that in CA. They could have "The Gangs of LA."

"The Illegals of CA."

"The SF Gay and LB scene."

I doubt one would need much acting to make the shows interesting.; 12/7/12, 2:29 PM
SteveR said...: Are they getting free birth control?; 12/7/12, 2:50 PM
Alex said...: If you are so hard-up that you will behave badly on camera, that's YOUR problem.; 12/7/12, 2:52 PM
SteveR said...: They could feature self-rightous gov't employees (all white of course) sitting around and trying to decide who they hate more, Christians or Jews.

Or Scott Walker's family members..; 12/7/12, 3:38 PM
MarkD said...: I was thinking "Subway Survival" could be a lot more interesting.; 12/7/12, 4:37 PM
mccullough said...: I haven't been to West Virginia in awhile, but I always think of Clarice Starling when I think of West Virginia.; 12/7/12, 4:52 PM
NorthOfTheOneOhOne said...: edutcher said...

Hey, they just finished spitting on Jersey, so it's equal time.

Let's see; Lil' Abner, Snuffy Smith, Lum and Abner, Ma and Pa Kettle, The Beverly Hillbillies, Andy Griffith Show, Gomer Pyle USMC, Green Acres, Hee Haw, Honey Boo Boo, Moonshiners, Duck Dynasty. Nah, white rural types from the South got no reason to be upset about being stereotyped.; 12/7/12, 5:20 PM
Anonymous said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 12/7/12, 5:41 PM
Baron Zemo said...: The purpose of reality shows is of course to get the best ratings possible. Young naked kids having sex and getting wasted is a proven ratings winner. That is why you have "Girls Gone Wild" and "Jersey Shore."

The only reason "Jersey Shore" is going off the air is that they are all old and tired and used up now.

They are going to use the same formula in another venue.

Southerners could complain if it happened to them first. But it didn't. It was the guineas from Jersey.

So buck up Buckwild and let the games begin.; 12/7/12, 7:22 PM
Baron Zemo said...: Plus white people are not allowed to be offended about anything.

I think it is in the Constitution or something like that there.; 12/7/12, 7:24 PM
Unknown said...: North of the 101,

the inspirations for Ma and Pa Kettle weren't southerners, they lived on Washington State's Olympic peninsula.

And don't forget Deliverance. Good list nonetheless.; 12/7/12, 7:25 PM
Joe Schmoe said...: I think the movie Deliverance did far more damage to the reputation of Southerners than Buckwild ever will.; 12/7/12, 8:37 PM
Known Unknown said...: West Virginia is a pretty beautiful place.; 12/7/12, 9:15 PM
chickelit said...: leslyn said...

I notice Tonette has asked for half a million dollars to remodel the kitchen. Didn't know she spent so much time in it.

Mostly union labor costs, to be sure.; 12/7/12, 9:21 PM