Pure Common Sense

I was in the house of one of my closest friends since childhood the other day and the reality show Cheaters came on TV.  It was almost time for me to depart for the evening, but for entertainment’s sake I stuck around and watched the first 15-20 minutes of the episode that was being syndicated that evening.  It seems that they turn just about everything into a reality show these days.  The characters were 30-something-year-old Mike, his housemate and his girlfriend.  You might notice that I only remembered Mike’s name, which I’m not sorry for.  It is my own name, yes.  But I like to believe that I remember his name because he was the only righteous one on the show that day.  His girlfriend and his housemate – they’re scumbags, I don’t care for them or what their names are.

So Mike is this copy salesman living full-time with his girlfriend and a younger friend of his has moved in to take advantage of his tough economic situation.  He should be thanking Mike for his hospitality, kissing his feet and worshipping the ground he walks on.  Instead he’s having sex with his girlfriend.  Yep.  Right behind his back.  As soon as he leaves for work every day.  And his girlfriend is dishonest in her exclusive relationship with Mike.  Fortunately a team of specialists who host the show exposed the treachery to Mike and Mike, after taking in the magnitude of the betrayal, set out to confront the wretches he once considered friends.

If you thought things could not get any worse, listen to this.  Mike found his housemate and girlfriend at Planned Parenthood – that’s right, Planned Parenthood!  What more trouble could that obnoxious pair possibly get into!  And when Mike confronted the two serpent-headed lovebirds in the parking lot he reacted with (rightful) anger and lashed out at his housemate in (understandable) physical rage.  Then they did not even take responsibility for their actions.  His housemate and dependant snubbed him.  His girlfriend showed no remorse for cheating and ripped on him for his job as a copy salesman.  Excuse me?  Personal Responsibility!  You are entitled to nothing and Mike is not the wrongdoer, you are.  Therefore, you’re at fault, for you are entitled to nothing!  End of story.  So what if Mike’s a copy salesman?  At least he’s not a treacherous slut!  I stopped watching the episode then so I don’t know how it all turned out.  Hopefully one day Mike can become the chairman of a worldwide copying empire and his two former friends can rot together in the crack house just like they did behind Mike’s back and in his bed.

It seems that these reality shows dig down to the craziest of the crop for all their shows today.  It’s not just this one, either.  The last Wife Swap episode I saw involved a Wiccan high priestess who brainwashed her family and her friends and her neighbors into worshipping her every move and doing whatever she tells them to do.  There was also families in other episodes who lived full-time as either pirates or magicians.  I’m glad these are not all reflective of our society.  Just like Bob Dylan once said “I’m glad I’m not me” in response to what trashy tabloids made up about his life.