"Strict Parents"

So, this week I've become rather addicted to "World's Strictest Parents", a TV show that sends two unruly teenagers to a strict family for a week, in the hope that they will come out with a more level head. I've developed a particularly rapt interest for the BBC version, in which they send British teens to different families from around the world, from Africa, to India, to America. Of course, I tend to believe that the BBC does everything better. I love my British telly - my British everything, in fact. But the American version is awesome too - it just has too many commercials and is lacking that authentic, natural touch of the BBC.

I don't know exactly why I find it so interesting. But, possibly one of the most intriguing aspects, aside from the fireworks between the parents and teenagers, is the fact that this show is one big mind-game. It's one big psychological battle, as the parents try to get in the kids' minds and change their outlook on life. What is really intriguing is when the kids recognize it and play along in the psychological battles. Some of them are better than others, but some are quite good at preserving themselves and coming out relatively "unscathed". Now - let me take a step back and say that I admire qualities of both teenagers and parents - but at the end of the day, the logic of the parents definitely deserves the most attention. But I really admire the drive of some of the teenagers to preserve themselves in the face of people trying to mold them into something else. It's no long-term strategy - a bubble floating on negative energies - but it is always refreshing to see some wit and intellectual dexterity. I'd love to see what I would do in such a situation, if I were in their shoes and went through their life experiences.

Most of the teenagers come from crumbling families; either single-parent homes with divorced parents, or from homes that have suffered divorces or bereavements. You just get the sense that there is a sense of love lacking in a lot of situations, and many of the teens end in tears by the end of the show under the weight of their struggles. And I really feel for them. A lack of love, or loneliness, is one of the most dreadful pains. It's a shame that things ended up the way they did for them; of course, this happens millions of times over to many who are less unfortunate all across the world. At least, the show is able to turn around the lives of, or at least help, a few dozen people. 

I'm just glad that I have a good family, an individualistic personality, and a relentless buzz of ambition. 

Nevertheless, I just can't wrap my head around why some people find alcohol, tobacco, and drugs to be so enticing. Alcohol - I guess that I can understand. You get drunk, and you have depressants going through you. But tobacco smells so horrible... I've just never understood it. The smell of smoke is extremely painful to me... so I don't understand why so many people turn to it. But then again, I've never understood the concept of pain for pleasure very well. 

I feel though, that I've learned something about how different people live. And even better, how they think. I love to get inside people's minds and understand how they think. A lot of these people have a lot in common. We all have our differences, but the show is another vivid illustration of just how much people have in common. And a lot of the people are quite agreeable and people I could get along with on a day-to-day basis. You can feel by the end of the episode the pain that the host family feels - it's like you get to know everyone and then you have to go your separate ways. Well... actually that's more so in the BBC version. But... whatever- I love this show. Hopefully, I'll still love it next week... I've been devouring them at the rate of an episode a day. Watching TV at this rate is uncommon for me... :)