Jerod Clark writes well concerning the modern day harem that is the show, The Bachelor.
He writes:
Throughout the show, which will have its season finale on March 14, I keep hoping for a voice of reason. Someone who would remind these contestants what’s really going on. A couple of weeks ago, Womak traveled to meet the families of the four finalists. I thought surely some parent would question what’s really happening. Yet parent after parent gave their blessings for a proposal if their daughter is the one chosen. None asked their daughter, “Are you really in love and ready to marry a guy who’s currently having relationships with three other women and can’t decide which one to propose to.” None of them questioned Womak in the same way – at least it wasn’t shown.Read the rest.
I can hear people responding to this by saying, don’t watch the show. But I think in many ways there’s a need to be an active viewer to understand where culture is in terms of interpreting love. And if you understand that view of love, you can better serve the friends around you who are in a situation of trying to find a mate. I’m not fully convinced the local church is doing a good job of providing a real interpretation of love, so people are turning to things like “The Bachelor” instead. For the millions of people watching, “The Bachelor” is shaping our cultural view of love. It’s saying you have to compete for love. Plus you have to not be yourself and do things you normally wouldn’t to prove you’re worthy of love. Where’s the sacrifice? Where is the pursuit of true love over fictionalized romance? And what happens once the show’s over?
You never really get to see what it’s like for the women who get kicked off the show. Being on “The Bachelor” is a crazy lifestyle. Dates include traveling the world to exotic locations, going on endless shopping sprees, performing on stage with Cirque du Soleil and having a whole carnival set up just for you. Once that’s gone, what are you left with when you’re back at home forced into finding a normal relationship? I hope there’s the realization of the difference between being given attention and being genuinely romanced.
1 comment:
I hear what he is saying, and I neither watch the show nor think it is a good direction, but have a response: Shakespeare. His plays often had such tortuous displays of affection and long, searching monologues for the meaning of love. I take the average watcher of this show (and its ilk) to be watching a drama and picking and choosing lessons rather than buying wholesale. Still not good, but there is historical precedence.
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