Reaping what you have sown

I don't watch "reality" shows. Ever. I personally feel they are a waste of time, since a good majority of the supposed "reality" is manufactured reality - tape that has been edited to the nth degree in order to make everything more EXCITING and SUSPENSEFUL. Bah. So, I come at this post admitting that I have never seen this show, nor do I ever plan to. But I don't think I need to have seen this show to feel that the current standpoint taken by its "stars" is absolutely absurd.

The show in question is Jon and Kate Plus 8. They have been in the middle of a media firestorm lately, with both spouses having been painted as adulterers. There are open questions about whether the marriage will survive, who is guilty and who isn't, blah blah blah. Frankly, I don't care. They are adults, and they make choices - and must deal with the ramifications of those choices.

But the issue I have has nothing to do with these accusations. What bugs the hell out of me is the fact that Jon and Kate have decided that much of this is the fault of the media, and they are not happy about it. Now granted, the media these days tend to prefer sensationalism to actual journalism. Fact-checking is tardy, if done at all. Mea Culpas tend to flow like wine when said "journalists" get caught in their own web of garbage. And with Jon and Kate, it may be exactly that - everything is innocent with both people and the damn media just won't let them alone.

HOWEVER. I must ask this question - who put themselves out there to become targets of the media? Jon and Kate have used their children to make money and to become famous (and, according to some media outlets, to get tummy-tucks). They have brought cameras into their home, and kept them there, for years. These kids have no idea of what a normal household might actually be like - where their faces aren't splashed all over the place, and a director has final say in what people know about them. Knowing this, do these people have any right to complain?

Honestly, it kind of annoys me when actors give the same complaint - however, actors are doing a JOB, a craft. And the paparazzi attention that actors get is FAR beyond what these two are receiving - to the point of stalking, in many cases. They do their job, and then they go home, where they should be expected to have some peace. Primary difference between them and Jon and Kate is that their whole existence revolves around bringing the media INTO their home, which basically removes any concept of privacy they seem to be expecting. Not only that, but I don't recall hearing any complaining during the last few years, as they were raking in the dough and exposing the lives of themselves and their children on television. But suddenly, as cracks begin to appear in their relationship, the same media that has given them the money and fame they were previously enjoying has now become the cause of their problems.

Even worse, to me, is that they are continuing with this show during all of this. Common sense would seem to dictate that they would lay low, work things out however ends up being best, and spend extra time with their children. Their kids may be young, but I'm sure they know something is wrong - children have an extraordinary way of picking up on vibes and problems, which they then tend to believe is all their fault. Instead, Jon and Kate have chosen to continue the show, bringing their marital problems and their children further out into the spotlight. The health and well-being of their children seems to be down on their list of priorities - under the entries that are marked 1. Fame and 2. Fortune.

I can't help but wonder what the consequences of their choices will be - and whose fault it will be this time.