If any of you went beyond the Red Hot Read in last month’s Cosmopolitan, you may have seen Jessica Bennett’s thought provoking article on “hate-watching”, Why Are We All Such Haters? Something thought provoking, in Cosmo? Weird, I know. But Bennett’s article highlights some valid and rarely discussed issues regarding the way we consume pop culture today. Why is it that we choose to watch shows that we vocally despise? If Honey Boo Boo is really so terrible, why don’t we just turn it off?
In her article, Bennett concludes that this trend of hate-watching (tuning in to shows for the sole purpose of judging them) is so popular today because it grants us, as the consumer, a sense of satisfaction and power. When we put something else down, we build our own self-image up. Syracuse University professor Robert Thompson states that there is “something delicious” about having the ability to so freely admonish and ridicule pop culture. It builds our ego up without the nasty side effects that come with bullying people we might actually see in person.
As a consumer, a student and a woman, I see and participate in this trend on a daily basis. By day, my friends and I joke about North West (the baby, not the direction), deride the moms of Toddlers and Tiaras, and trash Miley Cyrus’ recent fashion choices. But by night, I still watch old episodes of Keeping Up With the Kardashians and, quite frankly, applaud what Miley’s actions have revealed about gender inequality in the industry.
As a student, I witness on the regular a distinct attitude among college students to identify otherness in pop culture. It is ironic to me that even at a liberal campus like American, where respect for diversity of every nature is central to undergrad life, students participate in hate-watching so freely. The other day I passed a group of students; backpacks covered in pro-life, -LGBTQ, and -multi-cultural pride buttons, very vocally sharing their negative opinion of Miley Cyrus and the infamous twerking trend. It was strange to me that a group of students so clearly displaying their demands for respect and acceptance in society were so incredibly harsh in their judgment of someone they’ll probably never meet. Reflecting on this event, I realized that I too regard myself as an advocate for equal rights and treatment in society. But I’ll be the first to admit to hate-watching and harsh judgments on the behaviors of pop culture icons. Why are we all so unaware of this hypocrisy? And if we are aware of it, why do we fail to eliminate it from our interactions?
As a woman, this trend is, quite frankly, horrifying. Despite being surrounded by multiple generations of powerful and progressive female figures across the globe, we are still so quick to judge women in pop culture for their behaviors, dress, and body size. Our inability to realize and speak-up about this issue essentially comes down to the fact that we are lazy. It is so much easier for us to be reactive and judgmental then it is to take proactive action in standing up against hate-watchers. Moving with the current always requires less effort than treading upstream. Not only is it easier, but we are somehow under the impression that we gain a greater sense of self worth through hate watching. Why would we want to give that up? I know that, despite reading Bennett’s article and writing my own extension of it, I’ll absolutely find myself hate-watching the next Twilight and Rebecca Black. The next time my friends and I need to feel better about our lack of gym visits and compulsive procrastination, I’m sure we’ll turn to Amanda Bynes’ twitter feed to remind ourselves that we could be a lot worse. Still, I hope that the themes discussed in Bennett’s article continue to appear in the public eye and eventually turn over a new leaf in our judgments on pop culture.
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