This will be the end of the recent site-wide obsession with
Jon and
Kate and
Michael Lewis. At least until the next time that something amusing happens involving, one, two, or ideally, all three of them.
I am writing this with less than three hours until the explosive season premier of
Jon and Kate Plus Eight. Meanwhile, Michael Lewis is out pimping a
new book about the decline of fatherhood in America or, at least, his own attempt to suffer through the institution.
Why mention all of this?
Because Michael Lewis's description of modern American fatherhood - in which the father is a mere afterthought whose primary responsibilities seem to be getting unmercifully hectored by both the Mom and modern American society as a total failure as a parent - is precisely what occurs, week in and week out, on Jon and Kate Plus Eight. Kate's incessant criticism of Jon - it literally never ends, with her objecting to practically everything that Jon finds reasonably - is excessive of course. But the show doesn't it present it as such. In fact, on the bumper for the now less than an hour-and-a-half way season premier presents us Kate as victim, as if she isn't the one primarily responsible for the problems in her own marriage.
Yes, Jon (may have) cheated on Kate, but why wouldn't he? On YouTube, there is a
six-part collection of Kate destroying Jon at literally every opportunity. She never misses an opportunity to criticize Jon's parenting, his vocabulary, his outlook, his everything. The show
never finds objection to this, which is why tonight's episode presents Kate as the victim. It apparently isn't conceivable to the show's producers or
TLC that Kate's behavior is outrageously inappropriate. Or, likely, America. There's a reason the show is popular, and it probably isn't men watching this. The people who make the show are pandering to their demographic, which is likely women. No doubt the show wouldn't be as popular if everytime Kate attacked Jon, a little graphic popped up asking, "What in the hell is wrong with this woman?"
Does Kate even watch the show? Does she see how she is? Does she not care? And do the women watching, thus driving the ratings, really not object to her outrageous behavior?
Meanwhile, I will admit that I am less responsible with my children than their mother is. But that irresponsibility is good for them. They need to be allowed to run around. They need to be allowed to be dirty. They need to be allowed to hurt themselves. The primary responsibility of parents is creating a world in which their children can grow up. What Michael Lewis is describing is a world in which his parenting is verboten - because, horrors, something might happen. Kate is representative of this, what with her constant freakouts. But its more insidious than that; she's turned her attention away from her children and onto her husband, treating him not as an equal, but as a employee. It's unfortunate. It's a trainwreck. And fortunately for the fans/people-who-like-to-witness-human-suffering, it's on in fifteen minutes.
