I got sucked into watching most of the Hulk Hogan interview on ‘Larry King Live’ last night. His problems seem to be multiplying with each new day; divorce, son in car accident that leaves friend severely brain-damaged, supposedly cheating on wife with friend of daughter, son going to jail, release of jailhouse tapes that further define his views on theodicy (God laid some ‘heavy sh–’ on him) and that his son somehow fell through the cracks of the penal system. To think that his son has been treated unfairly may take some stretching of the truth, but then again, perhaps if he had just been a normal 17-year-old kid he would not have had to serve any jail time. The point though is that he is not a normal kid.

I used to watch the hit reality TV show ‘Hogan Knows Best’ for reasons I cannot define at the moment. I did begin to see some interesting developments during my time as a viewer of this program, with the most interesting one being how seriously Hogan takes himself. I think he must believe he is truly a big star, with important contributions to society. I will offer into evidence exhibit a, exhibit b, exhibit c, exhibit d, exhibit e as proof of the contrary. However, it is not difficult to tear down the man’s film and television career; this can be done to just about anyone who works in the film and television industry. I just wonder about his perception that any of this controversy really matters to anyone. What does that then say about someone who writes a blog post about it?

It seems like a ‘chicken versus egg’ controversy: does a reality show turn your life into ruin or was your life already this way, with the reality show bringing it to light? There are unfortunately now countless examples of reality shows leading to break-up of marriages, ruination of familial and friendship relations, among other things such as going to jail and having the world know about your private conversations within said jail. What does it all mean? Absolutely nothing at all. It is a non-story, much like 99% of what passes for news these days. The people that write about it? They could not be more lost or out of touch with the difference between having information and having knowledge. 

I can think of at least one good thing about the economy and society as we know it being dumped over the gates of oblivion: we won’t have reality TV anymore.