Consider This

By LC Van Savage

Many Americans began to ask the question, “Why do they hate us?” after the horrors of 9/11. I have a theory and, don’t laugh, it could be somewhat because of TV shows like “Growing up Gotti.” In truth, I worry that people in other countries watch that awful thing resulting in their hating us even more than they already do. Many of them suffer starvation, poverty, have no health care, clothing, or shelter and also endure disease and sexual exploitation, but even they sometimes have access to TV and can watch this obscene show.

I have watched it a couple of times. Never again. The show I’ll discuss here was about the blond-maned Mafia princess mother, Victoria, (daughter of don John Gotti,) and her greedy, narrow, viciously, irreparably spoiled, constantly glowering three sons, and a problem they all had.

These kids live in indescribable wealth and decadence, yet they whine endlessly, as does their mother, about how tough things are for them. Victoria laments her dear father John’s death, and wishes he were still here to “help” her. Excuse me, but didn’t he break laws, slaughter, smash and rob people to get all these riches?

Anyway, on this show Victoria desperately desires a vacation from the torturous labors of her gaudy, opulent, well-staffed mansion where I think she cooks sometimes. Needing to escape that brutal grind, she chooses to go to Aspen altho she admits she can’t ski. To mollify her spray-tanned, moussed/spiked hair, angry sons for not inviting them along, she promises each a special piece of custom-made jewelry. Without thanking her for the offer, the boys immediately make strident and specific jewelry demands; the pieces must be thick, big, heavy and encrusted, and “encrusted” of course means “diamonds.”

The jewelry arrives and the boys, already wearing so much they can barely stand upright, throw tantrums because the pieces are just not thick, heavy, big or encrusted enough. “What da hell is DIS?” they shout at their mother, throw the baubles down and storm off. They’re livid! Jewelry store guy collects the offending pieces, and later replaces them with others, all custom made, all encrusted, all barely acceptable. One is a huge, bejeweled cross, another a huge bejeweled star and the third a huge, thick, encrusted, initialed dog tag. The boys grudgingly accept these imperfect trinkets and do not thank their mother because after all, they’re entitled to them.

These kids bellow, primp, complain, and can’t do any work around the house because they’re too busy playing. They are obnoxious to their mother (Victoria, that hair! Think Isadora Duncan!) who allows these behaviours, who asks for a hug or kiss which they angrily grant her, and they do not thank her, ever. For anything. They leave. In their cars. New ones.

Victoria grumbles but never explains to these parasitic children that real life is NOT the way they’re living it, but she does not educate them about the real world because I suspect she’s blissfully unaware of it.

The undershirted, low-waisted Gotti boys don’t like their food so they throw it, scream, curse, brawl, keep their sideways baseball caps on during meals and continue to angrily search for and demand more and more things to satisfy and please them. Of course, nothing can.

This is shameful “reality” TV which, in my opinion, is gross American home entertainment at its worst. But come on, “reality?” Who lives like this? No one I’ve ever known. How about you? I worry the world’s people will see this dreck and think all Americans live and behave this way. This show can’t make us beloved to those around the globe who are in desperate need. Yes, this is America and people can do whatever they want if they’re not hurting anyone, but I’m personally offended by this awful, flagrant display of classless, insatiable greed, and frankly, I think it puts us in serious danger.

As an author with several books published, LC Van Savage still finds time for air time and an active community service life.
See her biography by clicking her byline (name in blue at top of the page.)

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