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Smug Americans Love 'Bad-Parent Porn'

We're addicted to seeing moms and dads face 'public smackdowns'

By Matt Cantor,  Newser Staff

Posted Aug 20, 2009 1:22 PM CDT
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(Newser) – America, it seems, is addicted to “bad-parent porn,” writes Meghan Daum in the Los Angeles Times. Nadya Suleman's new reality show is only the latest incarnation, along with Jon and Kate, of course. (And let us not forget Michael Jackson.) People just love to see moms and dads screw up in a big way. "We express disgust for them and for the media outlets that enable them, and then we read and watch some more."

What is it about these stories that sucks us in? That would take a lot of therapy to figure out—maybe a lot of Americans are angry at their parents or guilty about their own lousy parenting—but "in the end, bad-parent porn appeals to that ugliest and most innate of human emotions: smugness.” We like seeing parents “subject themselves to public smack downs.” Suleman needs a “time-out”; the media and fans of the genre should be “grounded for life.”

This image made from a 2006 video provided by KTLA shows Nadya Suleman looking at a ultrasound of her unborn twins at an in-vitro fertilization clinic in Los Angeles.
This image made from a 2006 video provided by KTLA shows Nadya Suleman looking at a ultrasound of her unborn twins at an in-vitro fertilization clinic in Los Angeles.   (AP Photo/KTLA)
In this file publicity image released by TLC, Jon and Kate are shown in in happriet times.
In this file publicity image released by TLC, Jon and Kate are shown in in happriet times.   (AP Photo/TLC, Mark Arbeit)
The woman Americans love to hate.
The woman Americans love to hate.   (Hulu.com)
Scene from the special.
Scene from the special.   (Hulu.com)
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Should you want to watch all 1:26 of it.   (hulu.com)

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The more egregious the adult behavior, the more they're subject to public censure and, therefore, the more satisfying the viewing experience. - Meghan Daum

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COMMENTS
Showing 3 of 4 comments
riffran
Aug 21, 2009 11:18 AM CDT
porn and "Nadia Suleman" should never ever be used in the same story...yech!
Kookey90
Aug 20, 2009 11:22 AM CDT
I don't watch any of these reality shows; I've got enough drama going on in my personal life without worrying about someone else's.
NxBigmouthery
Aug 20, 2009 9:09 AM CDT
That's because people's entertainment obsessions have become ever more fleeting. Overstay your welcome and you're a goner. But there'll be more car crashes to look at in future.

 
reality TV • parenting • Meghan Daum • octuplets • Nadya Suleman • Jon and Kate Plus 8 • Octomom • Jon Gosselin • Kate Gosselin

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