speaking of child exploitation...
forget the heene family; did anyone watch america's funniest home videos this past weekend? the winning video showed a boy on the toilet - he looked about eight years old, and was slightly overweight - crying because he had diarrhea.
now, several thoughts sprung to my mind when i saw this. first: diarrhea in children is NOT something to laugh at, and i don't even want to think about all the un-darwinian parents out there whose first instinct when their kid gets the runs now is going to be to dive for a video camera, instead of taking them to a damn doctor.
second: put aside the national television aspect for a moment: you're sick and miserable, and what does your mom do? play soothing music for you? give you a book to read while you're imprisoned on the loo? no...she grabs a video camera and records you so other people can laugh at your misery for years to come. that right there is grounds for dumping you in a state-run nursing home in your dotage and never coming to visit, ever. (there was a dog in the clip, and at least it had the right idea: sitting patiently at the boy's feet, not quite knowing why he was miserable, but staying there for moral support)
third: okay, yes, they won the $10,000 - but it's all going to be spent on therapy bills once the ENTIRE SCHOOL sees that clip and makes their son's life a living hell.
before anyone asks, yes, the clip was mildly amusing, but only because the boy was so articulate in his woe and misery. i'm just really uncomfortable about the kind of message that it's sending...plus the kid himself really didn't look thrilled to be sharing his most embarrassing moment on national television.
Q