I stumbled across
this story this afternoon:
Fox television network ... the beleaguered News Corp-owned network and its new top executive, Gail Berman, are hoping to catch prime-time fire again, this time with the perfect anti-hunk -- "My Big Fat Obnoxious Fiance."
The mid-season six-part show, debuting Jan. 19, centers on a young bride-to-be willing to endure a formal engagement and wedding -- with all the trimmings -- while betrothed to the world's biggest lout in order to win $1 million.
She gets the cash as long as she makes it to the altar and says, "I do," without her family or any of the wedding guests stopping the ceremony to object. Her friends and relatives believe they are merely taking part in the filming of a reality show about a wedding.
How ironic that the Rupert Murdoch owned station would be producing probably the most insulting TV show to the institution of marriage (not to mention people who are overweight). And Fox can't say this time that there is always the possibility that the marriage could be successful, because Steve (the "big, fat, obnoxious idiot") is just an actor, as are the rest of his supposed family.
But that's not the case with the bride's family. Instead they are torchured emotionally for the sake of Fox's ratings.
"The family's reaction is more than we ever could have imagined that it would be," Darnell told Reuters. "It was very difficult for them, and that made it extraordinarily difficult for her. ... It's hysterical."
What's different about this show over any of the other shows is that the bride's family has no idea that this is all a sham. At least in other reality shows, the people involved are involved voluntarily.
There's a lot of shame to go around with this TV show. To the network for producing such a horrid show. To the bride-to-be for putting her family through a personal hell for the sake of her pocketbook.
But most of all, this proves that the Traditional Values Coalition is just one big homophobic institution that could give a shit about traditional values, families, or any of the other things they say they are trying to protect. Their site is plastered all over with accusations that the "militant gays" are trying to ruin our country. With petitions and postings about how the "gay agenda" is single-handedly trying to dismantle everything good in our society.
Yet, they say nothing about things that REALLY are dismantling the institution of marriage and bringing more instability to our country's society. What about these reality shows that portray marriage as something that can easily be thrown away for the sake of $1 million? What about domestic violence? What about child abuse? What about drug and alcohol addictions and the treatment programs that help pull people out of them?
These are the things that get in the way of stable relationships.
But that's not what the Traditional Values Coalition really cares about. Their only interest is promoting a racist, sexist, and homophobic agenda under the guise of "traditional family values." If the Traditional Values Coaliton was seriously interested in bringing more stability to and reducing the sexual promiscuity of the gay community, they would be promoting the extension of an institution that is all about stability to that very community.