HGTV has shows on opposite ends of the spectrum. I have to be in the right frame of mind to watch them, or I suffer painful cognitive dissonance.
Shows like “Love It Or List It” often showcase families who have perfectly roomy houses, but they want houses large enough for every child to have their own bedroom, a separate playroom for all of the kids’ toys, a “man cave”, a living room, a dining room, AND a kitchen. While having one’s own room is lovely, children are not harmed by sharing a bedroom with a same-sex sibling. T says that as far as playrooms go, “My bedroom was my playroom.” I completely agree. And what is this with the demand for a “man cave”? What about a “woman cave”? You know what: how about the kids and Daddy all go into the “man cave” and let Mom have the rest of the house? I like that plan. My god, the privilege!
On the other end are the various “Tiny House” shows. In those shows people willingly downsize to homes smaller than our 900 sq. ft. apartment. Some of these people have kids. There is no privacy. There is no storage. There is no true separation. And it doesn’t escape me that it takes a significant amount of privilege to choose to live stacked up on each other in the way poor people wish they could afford to escape.
All of these shows have one thing in common: I argue mightily with the families.
2 responses to “A Parade of Privilege”
When my kid was younger I used to watch some of the renovation shows with her — and I always struggled with intense envy for all these beautiful, spacious houses, and was flabbergasted by how much for granted these people seemed to take their good fortune and privilege.
I feel some envy and am flabbergasted for the same reason. I am learning to think smaller instead of thinking I need the trappings of their lives, but it is a process.