Although they first hit American television in 2007, becoming something like a phenom for having eight children through artificial insemination (six of whom are sextuplets,) and quickly brought the TLC network the highest ratings the network has ever experienced, Jon and Kate Gosselin have no doubt become the most talked about reality television “stars” of the summer.
My question is simply, why? What seems like a normal American family of six, who reside in Pennsylvania and just so happen to have a reality television show exposing the trials and tribulations they face raising such a large number of kids, are for some reason gaining ridiculous amounts of media attention as so called affairs rock their already rocky relationship and their so called fame forces the couple to file for divorce. I don’t understand why I can’t walk into Barnes & Nobles or to the nearest magazine kiosk to buy my weekly fix of US Weekly without being brainwashed to care that Kate Gosselin was spotted out with her bodyguard, that her children supposedly called her “mean” or that Jon Gosselin’s new girlfriend, a supposed elementary school teacher with an extremely shady past which involves racy pictures and possession of marijuana, was wearing a ring which of course was interpreted as an engagement one.
I don’t understand why whole breaking news segments are dedicated to these people who I wasn’t aware people actually watched or why the media is suddenly acting as if the fact that the two of them are divorcing is gasp-worthy. According to the US Census Bureau and nationmaster.com, the United States has the highest divorce rate in the world at around 5 per every 1,000 people, so why does this make Jon & Kate any different? I mean, I can currently count on one hand how many of my friends’ parents are still married. Part of me believes that maybe this current obsession extends beyond the media’s knack for taking the tiniest, most inane subject, couple, or issue (remember how long they questioned Britney Spears’ sanity?) and makes me question what the word ‘FAMILY’ means to the media, if anything. The media idolizes Angelina Jolie for this global mom persona she’s created, yet seems to appreciate her more for being able to critique and gossip about where she and her brood are headed next. Instead of talking about how beautiful it is that Madonna wanted to adopt an unfortunate child, they say she’s copying off of Angelina. And instead of saying “Things Happen” in the case of Jon & Kate and letting the family return to their life on the D-List, they continue to publicize their problems and give these people commercials and magazine covers and free clothes because they’ve done something that 5 out of every 1,000 American families experience every year. As far as I’m concerned, Jon & Kate’s fifteen minutes of fame has been done since it started and it’s about time to stop publicizing, well, nothing.