What Did You Expect From Mama June & Honey Boo Boo? ...a lesson in what happens when you make exploitation entertainment

If you haven't been following the tabloids, Honey Boo Boo's mom (Momma June) is in a lot of trouble.  A simple Google search for "Mama June" will provide you with 9,000 different articles repeating the same quotes and facts on the information.  I have no interest in giving a thorough summary, but here's a quick summary.

Recently it was revealed that Momma June had spent time with one of her ex-boyfriends who was convicted of sexually abusing her oldest daughter, and she took her younger kids with her to see him.

The internet exploded with all of the obvious questions:

• Is she dating this guy again?
• How much time has she spent with this guy?
• Is he one of their parents?
• Why did she take her kids to go see a sexual predator?

Those are all great questions if we were talking about most anyone else, but given her track record, what did you expect?

Let's Look at Her Track Record

Mamma June and Honey Boo Boo rose to fame by being featured on Toddler's & Tiaras.  This show, which is on TLC (The LEARNING Channel), follows a group of parents and their toddlers as they compete in child beauty pageants.  Each week, you see a new set of three year olds plastered with make-up, walking a stage in front of a panel of creepy grown men who rate them.

To be clear, I know some people do this kind of thing on some rare occasion just for the fun of it.

This show is about moms who force their children to compete in child beauty pageants.  It's not a study of this sub-culture, it's the exploitation of these dysfunctional families.

Of all the families featured on the show, who were the most bizarre?
Honey Boo Boo and Momma June


You can search on YouTube for a best of Honey Boo Boo reel or Google "Honey Boo Boo Gifs" if you want, but here's a quick rundown of this mom and daughter:

• Honey Boo Boo is known for her bizarre over the top personality.  So, we're to laugh at her odd behavior and strange statements, but it's not like "Kids Say the Darndest Things;"  It's like we're looking down at this child.
• She's known for her tantrums, whiney personality, and foul language (at age 6).
• Her mom is known for allowing this behavior and giving her six year old GO GO JUICE (their own special mix of Red Bull, Mountain Dew and Pixie Sticks).
• When Honey Boo Boo is on GO GO JUICE, she starts acting like she's drunk, hopped up on Red Bull, and perhaps did a little cocaine.  We're meant to laugh at her while she sits there wobbling like a drunk, saying bizarre things or when she starts to lay on her side and run in circles.  
• And her mother has defended giving her GO GO JUICE by saying something to the effect of, "I could give her worse, like alcohol."   

I could go on and on.  This is all from the ONE episode I saw.  

Now, if you saw a mother and daughter behaving like this at your school or church, you would instantly tell the child they need to behave and then pull the parent aside to confront them about the wisdom of their parenting style.   

TLC saw their behavior and they saw DOLLAR SIGNS!!!  And they were right.  Soon afterwards, Honey Boo Boo received her own spin-off show which has run for several years. A quick look at their ratings indicate the show has MILLIONS of viewers.

Back to Our Controversy

Jump forward to a couple of weeks ago, TLC has canceled the spin-off show after allegations of about her mother dating a child molester came up.

As a business, I can understand why they would want to do so.  As humans, I'm not really sure why they didn't see this coming.

I just have to ask anyone surprised by this, WHAT DID YOU EXPECT?!?

• Would you give your six year old Red Bull with Mountain Dew and pixie sticks?
• Would you allow your over weight six year old to go on national television and play with their belly fat while hopped up on Red Bull?
• Would you exploit your six year old for money?
• Would you humiliate your six year old on national television?

Ten years from now, she will be in high school and on the butt end of every joke.  Obviously, there's something SERIOUSLY wrong with her mom. This is not the behavior of someone with a nurturing maternal instinct.

Everything they have ALLOWED to be seen NATIONALLY, I would describe as RED FLAG warning sign behavior.  Let me repeat that, what they have chosen to present publicly to millions of people is all RED FLAG behavior.

What are they doing in private if this is what they'll allow to be seen publicly?

OBVIOUSLY something else was going on that they wouldn't want to go public!

THE Dr. Phil Show

In light of the current controversy, there are many different ways she could respond.

• She could remain silent and deal with these deeply personal issues in a personal manner.
• She could issue a press release where she owns her mistakes and articulates a plan to rectify her past mistakes.
• She could pro-actively quit reality television.
• She could go on The Dr. Phil Show as a broken apologetic person desperately seeking help.
• ...or she could book a spot on The Dr. Phil Show to DEFEND herself and tell her story.

Guess which one she picked?

Once again, there are 8,658 blogs out there summarizing the 45 minute interview. I actually did watch the interview.  IT WAS BAD!  Dr. Phil asked every question you would hope he would ask.  Then he confronted her with everything you would hope he would confront her with (at least in regards to this situation), but nothing she said in the 45 minutes made her seem any less suspicious.

THREE HIGHLIGHTS

• She started by admitting she's not a perfect parent, but it was the equivalent of her saying, "No one's perfect."
• She claims that when her boyfriend of five years was arrested and thrown in jail, she didn't know for two months why he was arrested. Then she explained she didn't know her own daughter's side of the story for eight years (which both her mom and daughter refute). 
• Four of her last boyfriends have served time in prison, and two of them are convicted sex offenders.  When Dr. Phil pointed out her obvious poor choice in men, she responded by explaining she's dated some other guys too.

I guess I was disappointed by the interview because I was hoping she would either have some moment of clarity and drop the REALITY TV delusion.  Instead, we got more fake reality.

What else would you expect from her?

After the interview, Dr. Phil did a quick follow up with TMZ (who ironically are the exact kind of garbage you shouldn't keep watching).  Dr. Phil basically told TMZ she's a compulsive liar drawn towards criminals.  (I can't believe I'm actually embedding a TMZ clip into one of my posts)

Stop Watching This Garbage

Clearly, TLC (The LEARNING Channel ...I will keep emphasizing that point) doesn't care about the safety of Honey Boo Boo.  They don't care if they're exploiting a child.  They don't care if Momma June is a blatantly negligent parent.

They just care about the bottom line.

We have to choose to not support this garbage.

When you watch this type of exploitive show, you are supporting the exploitation.  You are paying someone to exploit their child.  Any parent that would do that, almost certainly has more issues beneath the surface.

If a show revolves around being entertained by behavior that in any other context would be considered RED FLAG behavior, perhaps you shouldn't watch it.