Reality TV

I have never been ashamed to admit that I am addicted to reality TV.

Okay Okay... It has been a very long time since I was ashamed to admit I am addicted to reality TV. There were those times, back when it was first starting, that I claimed to denounce it. Then there was the period where I would choose one show and watch it and say "everyone has a guilty pleasure" and pretend its only that one show that had caught my interest. Now I am a full out addict and not at all ashamed of it.

So it should not surprise anyone to know I spent last night flipping between American Idol and Biggest Loser, or that I spent tonight watching American Idol, and then flipping between Top Chef and Real World (mostly watching Top Chef, but MTV filled in the commercials nicely for me).

So, why do I bring this all up you ask? (Yes, I heard you thinking it). I bring it up because I apparently have what is a politically incorrect or something view about one of the contestants on American Idol last night. If you watched it, you know the last contestant they showed last night is visually impaired. You also know they made a HUGE deal out of it, used it as a hook before every commercial, and then acted like it was a big sob story. And here is where I get politically incorrect, and you may think I am unsympathetic for saying it, but I was almost offended by the big deal they made. It was like "oh, look at this poor blind man and how he can do things like normal people, isn't it amazing."

I spent a summer working with visually impaired kids. They are not incapable. Some of them are more independent and capable than perfectly "normal" but lazy kids. I am not saying that the blind contestant did not overcome adversity, I am saying that visually impaired people are perfectly able to do most things. We should not be surprised or amazed that a visually impaired person is able to succeed, and that is why the story bothered me. It shouldn't be an interesting story that he was able to do this, of course he could do this.

And when people are voting (assuming he makes it through Hell week), I hope they don't say "oh, the blind singer, what an amazing story, I am going to vote for him," I hope they say "wow, he has a great voice, I think he was the best singer this week."

That is my reality television tirade for the week.

That, and why oh why could they not kick the silver team of Biggest Loser? They are annoying.

The End.