There have been a Slew of suicides involving involving reality shows. It makes lovely television watching people less fortunate than ourselves struggle to make ends meet, or fail to pay bill and be evicted, or be held up to ridicule, or thrust into the limelight with no preparation or support.
Well, yet another life was lost. One subject of TV's "16 and Pregnant" has died at 26: Former 16 and Pregnant star Jordan Cashmyer passes away at 26 (msn.com)
No mention is made of the cause of death, but the girl has had a history of drug use. The article above is ended with a link to the Samaritans. I think the inference is obvious. This girl was the subject of a TV programme, which after it had used her for titillation then left her and her boyfriend to fend for themselves. Eventually they split, the baby involved ended up being with another family member and Jordan ended up on drugs and working in a strip club.
Now isn't it about time that these reality TV shows stopped? At the very least, offer these poor unfortunates a way out of their poverty. After all the TV companies that are commissioned to make these programmes and the networks airing them are making a mint out of them.
Just think what a change to that girl's life a TV company could have made had they the moral decency to not just walk away, but to help instead.
Reality TV is the cheapest form of TV going, the TV companies make huge profits on them. There's no studio to hire, no studio staff either, so those costs are not there. Just a crew with a camera, a crew to edit the content into a programme and finally a crew to market the programme.
I find it offensive that these people are shown on TV and are just left in the poverty and mire the TV companies found them in. The TV companies have the opportunity, once they have had their pound of flesh out of these people to then switch their lives around. For TV companies I'm sure the amounts are peanuts, but for a family or couple in poverty even 20, 30 or 40 grand could change their lives forever. It could pay the deposit on a flat and furnish it. The same amount could pay for therapy for the people affected by the fame (or infamy) rendered by being on TV.
It's about time that the TV companies started supporting the people with personality issues, or started lifting the poor out of poverty. After all they can afford to do it. And it's the least they can do after making hundreds of thousands of pounds at the expense of these people.
Either that, or end this constant naval gazing and exploitation. Or maybe Ofcom needs to step in for the safety and sanity of the victims of these programmes and issue new guidelines.
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