Honey Boo Boo Child Slammed For Making Americans Look Stupid, Ignorant

I did watch the show, and personally, I don't think that Alana and her family make Americans look stupid. The fact that people actually think that "The Jersey Shore" or "Here Comes Honey Boo Boo" accurately depict behavior of the majority of Americans is rediculous. The majority of people don't behave this way, and everyone knows it. I don't associate or compare myself to The Thompson family, and I think that the American public needs to realize that this is a TV show. This show is for entertainment, and people who get worked up about it, and try to give it more meaning that deserved, are equally as ignorant as the people they are so desperately trying to distance themselves from. The Media always wants to blame ignorance or human issues on something or someone, when in fact, it is not possible for a TLC television program to significantly influence or change anything about the world we live in. All this show can do is make people laugh and provide them with jokes for the next Happy Hour with friends. If you allow the show to do more than that, then you've got issues. Stop taking everything so seriously...it's boring.

It is child exploitation plain and simple. They are encouraging horrible behavior, they are encouraging little Alana to become a spoiled little diva who thinks the world revolves around her. They are setting this poor child up for major failure and heartbreak in her life, and to me, that is NOT harmless entertainment. It is child abuse.

have you noticed that the parents of these kids are usually complete failures in some aspects of their lives? It kind of shows that they're trying to force their children to parade around as a way to validate their own lack of success, looks, etc etc.

I think anyone that puts their children in these pageants not only make Americans look stupid, but humans in general.

What an ignorant, uninformed comment to make. Do you know anything at all about pageants or just what you see on TV? My daughter does pageants (she is 11), Natural Pageants where they do not allow make-up or fake tans or fake teeth or hair. She has won college money at the pageants she competes in and she has learned to speak in front of large crowds as the girls are asked to give introductions before they go on stage. They learn poise and grace among other things by being on stage in front of large crowds. There are a lot of positive takeaways from doing pageants. Please do not give your opinion on something you really know nothing about.

yeah, have fun with all that..


the rest of us choose not to exploit children over our own hangups

;)

and I'll share my opinion over whatever the hell I want -- if you don't like people having an opinion on child exploitation, don't read it.

My opinion is that Chelsea's opinion is correct. There are a lot of ways to teach children poise and grace. Parading them around in front of a bunch of fetishists is probably not the best of them.

As for the kid in question... haven't seen the show. Saw the ads. Pathetic is probably the best word to describe that family.

Linking Olympic Gold Medalist, Allison Felix, with this silly show is an insult!

I just saw the trailer~probably the ugliest family I've ever seen!

I agree with Lauren Drew, this is simply entertainment, (tastless entertainment) but, it is what it is. The behavior of this family is no reflection on the mass poplulation of Americans, and the behavior that is displayed in their homes behind closed doors.

I've given this too much thought.
First I want to applaud that family for feeling secure enough in themselves to literally 'let it all hang out' on television. I get the feeling that they very much are a "take us as we are" kind of people.
However that is not always a good thing. Honestly my heart hurts a little for that child. I don't think she's cute, in or out of make-up. She's obviously destined by heredity (aided by poor dietary decisions) to be a 'voluptuous' person. That's not going to help her in pageants. She doesn't have the poise, nor will she likely ever develop it if the session with the etiquette coach is anything by which to judge, for pageants. (Although I think Alana would have benefited more if her obviously begrudged older sister hadn't been there.)
And I don't even think pageants are healthy for children, yet here I am deconstructing one child's chances and feeling sorry that I don't think she'll ever win. Look at what this show has done to me!
I don't think most people will think this family is the typical American family, but oh! The grammar. The manners. The cheese balls for breakfast. The. pig. inside. the. house.
Although, I do think Glitzy the pig was by far the cutest member of that family.

This family makes themselves look stupid and ignorant. I have never in my life met anyone like these people, even in the South. The mother isn't intelligent enough to be embarrassed or to give a care what it does to her family. I encourage people NOT to watch this trash. Perhaps it will go away SOON.

Gather keeps making my posts disappear!

TLC and Alana's parents should be ashamed of themselves. Exploiting this little six-year-old girl and encouraging trashy, selfish and diva-like behavior is going to only hurt her in the future. If she keeps it up, she'll end up a fat Courtney Stodden...without the rich husband. And that is what breaks my heart. This child is being abused by the people who she is supposed to trust. Mentally, emotionally, and financially.

Wow when I had first seen the add for this show it was on Tosh.o and I thought it was a joke!

You can count on me not watching this show. Seems to me this girl will have to hate her parents when she is 20. Did this not occur to them?

Didn't TLC once stand for "The Learning Channel"? I don't know if these pageant shows make Americans look stupid, or just the parents of the exploited children and the producers of the show.

Once upon a time, TLC was about learning.

A lo-o-o-o-ong time ago...

All you haters on here need to quit being so uptight, judgemental, and find a sense of humor! It is a show about an outrageous family... the reason they are getting such flack is because they don't have money and beauty! The Kardashians are TRASH..the only reason people don't blast them like these people is because of their beauty and money. The Thompson's may be over the top, but they aren't doing drugs, abusing their children, or neglecting their children. I can watch it with my kids and just laugh and don't have to worry about sexual content. June obviously loves and worries over her kids because she wouldn't let them get in that river for fear of flesh-eating bacteria. Just because they aren't acting the way america "thinks" they should act, ya'll bash them? I would much rather see the Thompson's get paid from tv than the kardashians. At least they need the money and won't snub their noses at the rest of us middle and lower class americans!!!! And who knows...maybe Alana will use her money and have future where she doesn't have to struggle and pays it forward!