Categories: uncategorized
Date: 19 September 2008 10:54:19
Last night Third Party and I settled down to watch some trashy reality TV. Firstly it was "Don't Tell the Bride", where happless grooms plan their entire wedding in three weeks and then it was The World's Strictest Parents . Initially the World's Strictest Parents looked like it was going to be car crash tv; two unruly teenagers, one an extremely camp Essex boy, headed off to a conservative Evangelical family in Alabama. Whilst it had it's odd moment have to say that actually it was a really moving programme which challenged alot of popular stereotypes.
Yes, the parents were v. controlling and as the British girl said it was unclear if the parents were adequately preparing their children for the real world, but they were also v. caring. The affirmation they were giving their children was quite genuine, which surprised me. Had to say there were times if I were there I would have just wanted to have given the lad, particularly, a good slap - although Third Party kept saying, "I actually feel quite sorry for him". It was also particularly moving as the youngsters started seeing the consequences of their apparently innocent actions, particularly when the girl's cadging of a cigarrette off a homeless guy in a hostel they were volunteering in led to the guy getting kicked out.
The programme led to an interesting conversation with Third Party with her reflecting on what her behaviour did or didn't have / has had in common with the English teens and her views on the type of parenting in the programme. This did make me wryly reflect on the fact, due to some of the language in the programme, the family in the programme would probably have viewed it as inappropriate for kids to be watching, yet it led to one of the best discussions Third Party and I have had in a long time.
The part of me that is desperately trying to avoid her becoming trapped in the "evangelical sub-culture" was slightly worried at her excitement about seeing a poster of Counting Crowns (or something like that) on the kids wall in the US family. Have to admit it was a band I wasn't aware of really. Not that this sub-culture and the "Christian" music industry is always a bad thing. The Stand is an event coming up in Birmingham in Novemeber which is plugging into the Christian music scene audience to promote human rights campaigns.