M: are we really the only ones who hate Ty?
B and I may be two of the only people who will admit it, but I've decided that the TV show Extreme Makeover Home Edition is one of the worst worst worst shows on television. What they do is so outrageous and in the long run often does more harm than good. I didn't think anyone else agreed with me, and after being completely chastized at work for admitting that I thought it was so horrible, I decided not to blog about it. But thanks to John (our token repulican reader), I found that we are not the only ones, as evidenced by the show being #47 on the 100 most annoying things of 2005. Here's what they say:
You know, it doesn’t seem like building an $800,000 dream homes for a family who’s father lost his job as a professional rope skipper because he twisted his ankle is the best use of resources to help out America’s neediest people.Sums it up pretty well. I wonder how many Habitat For Humanity homes they could make with the money they spend on one 10-bedroom house equipped with plasma TVs in every room and a garage full of brand new cars. The worst part about it is that they act so self-righteous about what they are doing.
Slate also has a pretty good slide-show essay on how to supersize your house.
And this just in, a new Will Ferrell as George Bush sketch, this time talking about global warming. Hilarious!
7 comments:
and there have been so many complaints about shoddy/incomplete construction because they build so fast, not to mention that the families generally can't afford the taxes on their new home...
The supersized house link is the exact opposite of all the Not So Big House books. Now THOSE are worth a look.
Dude, that’s funny! I’ve gotten into tons of arguments with people about that show. It’s as though giving people a huge house with plasma screen TVs in each room is going to solve their problems. Come on! And who’s going to pay for the utility bills when Ty and the playmate looking decorators leave? No matter where you go- there you are! People can’t escape their problems by simply living in a mansion, and most problems are not solved by simply throwing money (or plasma screens) at them.
Although, in all honesty, I would take an Extreme Make Over if it were offered to me. What would be my plight? My pug has sleep apnea?
In all honesty, I dislike the show also. It took someone else to talk about it once and from then on, I've never thought of it as the dream show it tries to be.
And about those plasmas in every room? Wouldn't that promote a bit of isolation amongst the family? I'd sure be watching them. ha.
Wonder how much Will Ferrell spent on that little "piece," that accomplishes absolutely nothing, and what he could have done with that money to help someone.
Oh, wait, is that different?
Okay, you got me started. Sorry for the long comment...
Hmmm... Let's see here. A comedian doing a piece making a few funny jokes on the stupidity of our president. Nope, doesn't really "help" people. Although has he ever really claimed to? Do you see Will Ferrell prancing about saying "hey guys, look at all the good I'm doing for the world by pretending to be the stupid president"? No. Because he is a COMEDIAN.
Now let's take Ty and his band of do-gooders. Here's an example: They find one person, an old war vet who has lost a leg (and I'm sure there is more backstory there, but I didn't catch all of it). They tear down his old house and build him a brand spanking new one. They take his old furniture and appliances, and donate it to a charity that helps disabled war veterans. They actually show a kid, maybe 20 years old, who had his legs blown off in Iraq, living in a shack in the woods in the middle of nowhere because he really can't work and can't afford much else, receiving the guy's refrigorator. How is this right? This poor kid has his whole life ahead of him, but he's only getting the older man's leftovers. What makes the first guy so much more deserving than the 20-year old kid? It was sickening for me to watch.
Another example. They tear down a small home in LA, and build an enormous mansion in a part of town where one would not expect to see a giant mansion. Not only did they force the people living there to pay increased taxes on their property, but they've also likely increased the taxes for the neighbors, alienated the owners, increased their utility bills... the list goes on.
I just hate that they claim to be doing so much good but really it's all in the name of TV ratings. If they were just honest about it and said that they were building the biggest house possible to make the great ignorant masses of people admire them and tune in to their TV show so they can sell more advertising, I'd be okay with it.
And thank you to the Susan, John, and Rob, for letting me know that B and I aren't the only ones who think this way.
And John - I love your comment "people can’t escape their problems by simply living in a mansion." So true! It's a short-term ratings-based solution to a much bigger problem.
ohmigosh, I thought I was the only one. After watching one of the shows last year, I first thought was, wow, how much good they would have done had they spread that around a little bit, and not be sooo 'extreme'
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