You Betta Redneckognize.

The other day, I was reading the new issue of one of the most important current event publications of our time (People) and noticed a letter from a reader regarding the show Here Comes Honey Boo Boo.

"After reading this article, I can now accurately describe the ultimate decline of Western Civilization in three words: Honey Boo Boo."

Ladies and gentleman, it's time to knock this shit off.

Because really? Honey Boo Boo is the ultimate decline of Western Civilization? What about the still-booming industry of selling of young girls into sex slavery? What about the fact that genocide is still going on in our time and right in front of our faces? What about the fact that children are starving right here in America, people are dying from the lack of basic medical care, and we still have wide-spread issues with racism, bigotry, and sexual discrimination?

But Honey Boo Boo is the ultimate decline, huh? Alright.

I love Honey Boo Boo (aka, Alan) because she's a young girl with a monster-sized sense of confidence and self. She's funny and she knows it. She's honest and lovable and happy. And sassy. She's the kind of girl that our nation loses when she hit puberty and begins to be bombarded with societal messages that she talks too loud, is too bossy, isn't pretty or skinny enough, shouldn't interrupt, and that it's more important to be nice to everyone than it is to speak up for herself. And I, for one, am overjoyed that this little girl has gotten her own show just for being exactly who she wants to to be - funny, loud, ridiculous, and silly. She didn't get a show because she's pretty, or a celebrity, or because she's rich. She got the show because she made millions of Americans laugh out loud with her ridiculous one-liners and physical comedy.

And if you watch her show, you'd know that - besides the fact that it's pure comedy gold - the show's most  redeeming quality is that it's about a family who loves each other. Yes, they seem uncouth and slovenly and in possession of questionable personal hygiene habits at first glance, but they also genuinely enjoy spending time together. As a family. They talk and laugh and accompany each other to activities and support one another in their goals and dreams (whether it's losing a few pounds or winning the next state pageant). They're low-income (or were, before the show started), they live in a clapboard house by the railroad tracks, and possess, at most, a high school education.

And yet. They're happy. And love each other. And are good to one another.

If you ask me, a show about a real family who loves each other is probably exactly what's going to help save this Western Civilization we're so precious about.

I wrote the above and a whole lot more today, and then, as it happens, took a break and came upon this article on Gawker. And it said everything I wanted to say, only with much more keen insight. And I read it and thought, "I don't even need to write this blog post! This Rich kid's got it in the bag."

And then of course, I read the bile-spewing comments and was reminded of why I wanted to write this in the first place.

It all boils down to this:

Let's get over ourselves. Considering yourself to be "above" this "excuse for entertainment" because this family is "white trash" does not actually make you better than anyone else. It makes you unkind. It makes you close-minded. It leads you to draw conclusions based on ignorant and often cruel assumptions. Not facts.

And that's pretty fucking stupid, if you ask me. Talk about an excuse for intelligence.

And you can have an opinion. You can definitely have one. You don't have to like the show. You don't even have to watch it. But let's stop pointing at other people like this as the reason for why our nation is failing. Because it's not them. It's us. If we're so intelligent and so high-brow and sooo above this type of entertainment and, indeed, type of lifestyle, then what the fuck are we doing with all of that? Are we running for office? Starting non-profits and clothing drives and forming movements for change? Or are we simply sitting at our dinner tables, listening to NPR while we read the The New York Times and congratulating ourselves on being very smart? What good is all that if you're not actually contributing to the progress of our civilization, and are only instead pointing to the things that you think are helping along the decline of it?

Right? We live in the future.

So let's stop being such bitches about it.