It is show time on the TLC network for the highly rated reality show, Here Comes Honey Boo Boo. The show is set in McIntyre, a middle Georgia rural town with a population about 650 people; nearly forty percent have an income level that put them below the poverty level, according to the 2010 Census numbers (Associated Press). Some people in Georgia believe that the show presents the residents in an undesirable way. However, despite the Thompson family's unhealthy diets, their lack of education and their unsavory family behavior, they are still a loving, happy family.
Many Georgia residents do have critical opinions on the way Mama June feeds her family. The Thompson family attends a weekly auction for outdated …show more content…
Some Georgians attack the Thompsons because of their bad family behavior. They cite that the family’s mother and father are unmarried, and each of her four daughters has different fathers; also, her oldest daughter is an unwed mother. In addition, the ill-manners of the children, the lack of discipline, dumpster shopping, and bogging for pig’s feet are further indications of their lifestyle. The critics say this is not how the majority of the people of Georgia live. That is certainly not true, but this is a reality television show. Alana, as she likes to be called, sits in a blue lawn chair on a sunny summer day on the front porch. The happy looking seven-year old has one leg propped on the chair’s handle, shoeless barefoot proudly displaying the dirty bottom of her foot. Mama June likes it when the four girls all race to the kitchen sink, vying to be the first to wash her hair. Travis Wright, Professor of Early Childhood Education at Wisconsin and a Tennessee native, said “[I]t’s one of the most authentic and loving representations of a real family on television” (Ho). Unlike other reality show stars who spend a lot of money and time on entertainment, beauty salons, shopping, physical and emotional fighting, the Thompsons are an honest and genuine family, but most of all they are happy with each other. June acknowledges that …show more content…
“Why is Honey Boo Boo so popular?” blogs.ajc.com/momania. Momania: A Blog for Busy Moms. 29 August 2012.Web. 11 April 2013. (-- removed HTML --)
“ ‘Honey Boo Boo’ Panned in Georgia Hometown,” Hollywoodreporter.com. The Associated Press, 13 September 2012. Web. 11 April 2013.
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Ho, Rodney “Reality TV’s fascination with Georgia: Curse or Blessing?” Atlanta Journal and Constitution 3 November 2012: Academic Search Complete. Web 8 April 2013. (-- removed HTML --)
Hotchkiss, Joe “`Honey Boo Boo` reality show shows darker reality on health.” The Augusta Chronicle 30 September 2012. Academic Search Complete. Web. 11 April 2013. (-- removed HTML --)
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