Ethics of TLC's John and Kate Plus 8
This Program Has Many Viewers Checking Their Moral Compass
America has always been fascinated by the family unit; any family with out of the norm characteristics is quickly thrust into the national spotlight. This fascination became evident in the 70s sitcoms The Brady Bunch and Three’s Company. One featured a blended family, a stepfamily, of eight. The other featured the outlandish life of three unrelated roommates.
Documentary-Styled Programming
These fictional sitcoms were innocent enough, not arousing much, if any, controversy. But they just whet America’s appetite for more about the diversities of the family unit, and this time America wanted something more realistic. Thus new documentary-styled programming was born: a television crew follows a unique family around, capturing various scenes and snippets of their lives, then these scenes are edited together to form a broadcast-ready program.
Well-known examples include Little People, Big World, 18 Kids and Counting, and Then Came Six. One of the most note-worthy and certainly one of the most controversial of these programs is TLC’s John and Kate Plus 8.
The Show’s Appeal
The premise of the show is simple. John Gosselin fell in love with Kate and got married, but they found out they couldn’t have children. To overcome this hurdle they sought fertility assistance; Kate became pregnant with the twins Cara and Mady. So endeared by their two girls, John and Kate decided to try for just one more baby. They ended up with six! John and Kate Plus 8 follows the lives of the Gosselin family, focusing on how John and Kate cope with eight children.
What about John and Kate Plus 8 is so enticing to viewers? Eileen O’Neill, President of TLC, says in a March 23rd, 2009 interview with the Calgary Herald that people are fascinated by the “logistics of large families”. Birthdays, grocery shopping, daily routines. They’re hard enough for parents of two or three. People are curious about how John and Kate manage to do it all and then get to sleep at night. Not to mention affording all the expenses that eight children incur.
Thematic Diversion
Most would agree that the purpose of John and Kate Plus 8 is to inform America of the delights and trials of raising eight children. Many would also, however, attest to the fact that the producers seem to be taking up too much airtime examining John and Kate as people, not parents. These viewers feel that they’re not watching a show about parenthood anymore.
It’s clear that Kate has a dominant personality and is not afraid of hurting someone’s feelings in order to survive the burden life’s given her. In interviews she has told America that she’s not ashamed of who she is, rather that she feels that the producers of John and Kate Plus 8 have purposefully distorted her as a tyrannical woman instead of an overly concerned mother by weaving the clips together in an incriminating fashion. Some viewers feel this overarching tendency to estrange the show from reality just isn’t wholesome.
An Invasion of Privacy
Amidst the countless blogs and fansites concerning the Gosselins, some viewers question the legitimacy of delving so far into the lives of this family. John and Kate may have entered their family into celebrity status, but what of their brood? They didn’t elect to have their whole entire life broadcast nationwide. Knowing so much personal information about the Gosselins doesn’t sit right with many; they begin to question the ethics of all documentary-styled programming.
Values
A recent scandal, as reported by Ladies' Home Journal, revealed that John had been spotted at a bar near a local college, flirting and playing drinking games with the students. In addition to this, John tells the Journal that there is some definite "tension in [his] marriage". Some viewers feel the line of decency is crossed when the titular characters no longer set good examples.
Others at home attack all documentary-styled programming: they complain of its fictionalized qualities and feel that shows like John and Kate Plus 8 exist only to make money and advertise products and places, not to teach America anything.
The Ratings
Despite this growing list of controversies and grievances, the popularity of the show has not been affected. TLC has announced a fifth season of John and Kate Plus 8 and according to the channel, 4.6 million viewers tuned in for the season finale of season four on March 23, 2009. America's fascination with the family unit endures.
Learn more about the Gosselins by visiting their TLC-based website or by reading an article written by the Ladies' Home Journal.
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