 Trash  can               Â
Mm
y  boyfriend  and  I  ™‡”‡ ƪ‹’’‹Â?‰ –Š”‘—‰Š my  parent’s  endless  cable  selection  one  night.  I  had  control  of  the  re-Ââ€? mote.  This  can  be  a  scary  position  for  him  to  be  in  since  I  don’t  discriminate  against  T.V.  shows  based  on  their  “trash  value.â€?  We  stopped  on  a  ‡‡’‹Â?‰ —’ ™‹–Š –Š‡ ƒ”†ƒ•Š‹ƒÂ?• marathon.  My  boyfriend  cried  out,  pleading  with  me  to  change  the  channel  to  something,  anything  else.     Two  and  a  half  episodes  later  he  had  decided  KhloĂŠ  Kardashian  was  his  favorite  (she’s  sassy,  sar-Ââ€? castic  and  smarter  than  her  sisters),  Kourtney  Kardashian’s  boyfriend  Scott  was  an  asshole  (he  gets  drunk  a  lot  and  is  an  absent  boyfriend/father)  and  Kim  Kardashian  is  a  big  dummy  (she  always  needs  to  be  the  centre  of  attention).      Within  an  hour  some-Ââ€? one  who  prides  himself  on  having  “goodâ€?  taste  in Â
Â?—•‹… ƒÂ?† ƤŽÂ?• „‡…ƒÂ?‡ engrossed  in  the  world  of  trash  T.V.  Not  only  that,  he’d  formed  serious,  thoughtful  opinions  about  each  character.      Just  because  reality  T.V.  isn’t  necessarily  “realâ€?,  that  doesn’t  mean  we  can’t  learn  from  it.  People  aren’t  mindless  drones  that  absorb  pop  culture  without  any  thought  or  consideration.      In  their  book  ‘’—Žƒ” —Ž–—”‡ǣ •‡”ǯ• —‹†‡ǥ  Susie  O’Brien  and  Imre  Szeman  explain  that  “the  value  and  meaning  of  cul-Ââ€? tural  texts  are  not  quali-Ââ€? ties  that  reside  objec-Ââ€? tively  within   them;  they  are  instead  determined  in  part  by  the  audiences  that  consume  them.â€?  They  say  this  means  everyone  interprets  pop  culture   †‹ƥ‡”‡Â?–Ž›Ǥ     Just  like  how  watch-Ââ€? ing  ƒ† ‡Â?  teaches  me  about  loneliness  and  self-Ââ€? construction,  ‡‡’‹Â?‰ —’ ™‹–Š –Š‡ ƒ”†ƒ•Š‹ƒÂ?•  also  teaches  me  about  the  Â
human  condition.        Take  KhloÊ’s  wedding  episode  and  her  relation-Ââ€? ship  with  her  step-Ââ€?dad  for  example.  She  has  this  whirlwind  romance  with  a  basketball  player  and  be-Ââ€? comes  engaged  a  month  after  meeting  him.  She  tells  her  mom  and  sisters  right  away,  but  wants  to  keep  it  from  her  step-Ââ€?dad  Bruce  Jenner  until  she  has  the  ring.        Bruce  is  an  ex-Ââ€?Olympic  athlete  and  has  helped  raise  KhloĂŠ  since  she  was Â Ć¤Â˜Â‡Ç¤ ŠŽ‘¹ ’—–• ‘ƥ –‡ŽŽ‹Â?‰ him  because  she’s  wor-Ââ€? ried  he’ll  think  she’s  being  rash.  Unfortunately,  he  ƤÂ?†• ‘—– –Š”‘—‰Š –Š‡ Â?‡-Ââ€? dia  and  gets  really  upset.  It’s  made  clear  that  Bruce  and  KhloĂŠ  have  always  been  the  closest.     Now,  I’m  not  saying  that  a  lot  of  this  isn’t  staged,  but  the  relation-Ââ€? ship  between  KhloĂŠ  and  Bruce  was  established  long  before  the  E!  cam-Ââ€? eras  showed  up.  When  she  asks  her  brother  Rob Â
to  walk  her  down  the  aisle  instead  of  Bruce,  you  can  tell  he’s  really  hurt.  Of  course,  everything  is  eventually  cleared  up  and  Bruce  walks  her  down  the  aisle,  but  the  emotions  between  these  two  reso-Ââ€? nate  with  the  audience.      Even  if  the  moments  aren’t  “real,â€?  it’s  still  a  complex  relationship.  KhloĂŠ  wants  her  step-Ââ€? dad’s  approval  and  wishes  her  real  dad  was  still  alive  to  walk  her  down  the  aisle.  While  her  step-Ââ€?dad  wants  to  do  everything  –‘ ƤŽŽ –Š‡ ˜‘‹† Š‡” ÂˆÂƒÂ–ÂŠÂ‡Â”ÇŻÂ• death  left. ˜‡”›‘Â?‡ …ƒÂ? ƤÂ?† balance  between  watch-Ââ€? ing  critical  darlings  and  mindless  entertainment.  If  you  sat  down  and  kept  your  brain  on,  maybe  you’d  realize  they  aren’t  so  mindless  after-Ââ€?all. BY  K ATIE  R ANKIN
         B INGE  M AGAZINE.  M ARGINALIA.
DdOoNn’Tt  BbEe  AaFfRrAaIiĹDd  TtOo  LlEeAaRrNn  SsOoMmEeTtHhIiĹNnGg  FfRrOoMm  KkHhLlOoÉÊ  KkAaRrDdAaSsHhIiĹAaNn
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