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ResNovae, you didn't read it all, did you? Otherwise you would know I don't want Havrilesky's job. I have a job. I just want her to do hers. Maybe you live in a world of retarded Internet snots (Ain't It Cool News, f'rinstance). I just drop by weekly to see if the rehab program is working, and frankly, she is improving. Slowly, but any progress is better than none.
Bravo10, you are a quitter. Havrilesky has proven that she is not entirely hopeless as a writer. She has actually written some columns over the last few months that could have been the product of an authentic human soul. It's a familar rehab tango; two steps forward, one step back. Just remember that her jokes are like the jokes told in group therapy; they are pretenses that there isn't turmoil under the surface, and are not helpful for her healing.
And tina schrier, thanks. I wouldn't bring my personal life into this if it wasn't crucial to the argument; I get no joy bragging about my sorrows. But sometimes it's needed. As you pointed out, the Real Housewives lifestyle has real-world consequences, for the wives, their husbands, and the people with their noses pressed up to the LCD screen observing them. It's not that they shouldn't be shown, but they should be shown with some critical perspective.
That's why it's so frustrating to see such stupid reality shows featured so regularly (and flippantly) in this column. It's really easy to make fun of people you think are your social or moral inferiors. (A lot of racism, sexism and other negative -ism's come from that.) It's harder to have compassion or concern for such people. And of course, if there is a day to avoid compassion and to mock any humanitarian concerns, it's Easter Sunday.