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Raising eight children is exhausting enough, but explaining their every action to a boom mic can be a hardship, too. Considering all their stress, Jon and Kate seem very calm and collected during their interview sessions. They support their kids, but they don't spoil them. Most impressive of all: Kate has kept her composure through Jon's recent tabloid firestorm, insisting that they will work out their problems. Mature commitment on prime-time TV? What a novelty!
The Gosselins are secretly miserable: If you've seen only one episode of "Jon & Kate," you know that Kate is an aggressive taskmaster. She makes all the plans, she dominates conversation, she interrupts Jon and orders him around the house. These days, Jon has the frazzled, cockeyed look of a defeated man, and it's no wonder: Each week he is emasculated by his own wife for the entertainment of a mostly female audience. If the allegations are true -- that he's at least considered a drunken one-night stand with another woman -- is anyone surprised? Their show is worth millions, and she's got a book coming out about family values. Mightn't her emotional restraint just be a PR move?
The Gosselins are a showcase American family: They're loving, hard-working, and they even recycle. Although it's rarely mentioned, the Gosselins are a successful mixed-race couple, which can be challenging, even in the 21st century, especially in suburban Pennsylvania. When Jon started getting flabby, he went to the gym and found a personal trainer. When Kate got too bossy, she started making dry jokes about Jon running away. They're a serious couple, but they're also good-humored, and their kids are all bright-eyed and bushytailed. At this point, giving birth to twins and sextuplets is beside the point; really, the Gosselins have become a model for healthy living, and they may inspire a generation of new parents. The work may be exhausting, but they make every decision look savvy and natural.
The Gosselins are everything that's wrong with society: They didn't just turn to fertility drugs, the Gosselins used fertility drugs twice. In a few years, 10 billion people will live on Earth, and at least a billion of them will be starving. Natural resources are vanishing, food prices are rising and most people live in poverty. There's nothing illegal about having a large family, but the Gosselins subtly perpetuate the myth that more is always better. They've avoided financial woes by becoming TV stars and they've bucked their good fortune by becoming tabloid fodder. The marriage looks shaky, the family's credibility is questionable, and these kids are destined for therapy. But who cares, as long as the ratings stay high? The whole situation is sickening. What's the difference between the Gosselins and Octomom? The Gosselins are married.
The kids will be fine: Children are resilient. Millions of kids in America grow up around drugs, crime, and domestic violence, but sometimes these challenges turn them into tough, capable adults. The Gosselin children have no such woes; they do their homework, they obey their curfew, and they eat their vegetables. A cable show on TLC won't ruin their lives. If anything, the early fame will motivate them to do great things.
The kids are doomed: Britney Spears, Lindsay Lohan, Drew Barrymore -- all child stars. Need we say more?
What do you think about "Jon & Kate"? Write us at heymsn@microsoft.com and let us know.
Robert Isenberg is a freelance writer and stage-actor. He was recently
named the first-ever Whitford Fellow at Chatham University and earned a Golden
Quill Award for criticism. He is working on a book about the
Balkans.
Follow MSN TV on Twitter: @MSNtv | Also: See the official site
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