O.K. I’ve decided it’s time for me to take on the “Honey Boo Boo” thang. I have watched the phenomena over the past year. I joined with the jokes about the ratings beating out election stuff. I watched clips from the beauty pageants. I watched clips from the show. I’ve followed the “news” coverage about her family. I think I know why they are so popular.
First of all, let’s face the bare naked truth- other realty shows are mostly about the super rich or the super famous. Watching them can make us feel less than we are even if we disdain their lifestyles. We know we’ll never have that and it makes us uncomfortable.
In steps Mama June’s clan, instantly we can feel better about ourselves. We are better, smarter, richer, whatever, more than they are. That makes us feel better for awhile. These are people we can identify with even if it’s just to make jokes at their expense.
But that’s not what keeps us watching. What keeps us watching is the pure joy we see them having with their life experience. They are a loving, accepting family who back each other no matter what. They like who they are and are unapologetic for their lifestyle. They are comfortable in their own skin and we are captivated by that.
I know a family like them. They are not attractive. They are not well off. They are not educated or refined. But they are the purest hearted people I have ever known. In over a decade of knowing this family, I have never heard any of them say a negative thing about anyone. I’ve watched the children grow up and have children of their own. The family is still as tight as when they were younger. They love each other’s company. A very favorite pastime is spending a whole day playing board games together.
And from where I sit with my attractive, intelligent, educated family in shambles all around me, I am envious of their simplicity and joy. A good friend said this about this family once, “One day in Heaven, a beautiful family with shining countenances will come to give us a hug. We won’t know who they are until they speak. It will be this simple, honest, faithful, joyful family.”
We tune into to Honey Boo Boo to see what the fuss is all about but we stay because they really are what family and love and joy is all about. And we need that today. That’s the view from my side of the street, what’s yours?
First of all, let’s face the bare naked truth- other realty shows are mostly about the super rich or the super famous. Watching them can make us feel less than we are even if we disdain their lifestyles. We know we’ll never have that and it makes us uncomfortable.
In steps Mama June’s clan, instantly we can feel better about ourselves. We are better, smarter, richer, whatever, more than they are. That makes us feel better for awhile. These are people we can identify with even if it’s just to make jokes at their expense.
But that’s not what keeps us watching. What keeps us watching is the pure joy we see them having with their life experience. They are a loving, accepting family who back each other no matter what. They like who they are and are unapologetic for their lifestyle. They are comfortable in their own skin and we are captivated by that.
I know a family like them. They are not attractive. They are not well off. They are not educated or refined. But they are the purest hearted people I have ever known. In over a decade of knowing this family, I have never heard any of them say a negative thing about anyone. I’ve watched the children grow up and have children of their own. The family is still as tight as when they were younger. They love each other’s company. A very favorite pastime is spending a whole day playing board games together.
And from where I sit with my attractive, intelligent, educated family in shambles all around me, I am envious of their simplicity and joy. A good friend said this about this family once, “One day in Heaven, a beautiful family with shining countenances will come to give us a hug. We won’t know who they are until they speak. It will be this simple, honest, faithful, joyful family.”
We tune into to Honey Boo Boo to see what the fuss is all about but we stay because they really are what family and love and joy is all about. And we need that today. That’s the view from my side of the street, what’s yours?
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