Have you ever seen the MTV show, “My Super Sweet Sixteen?” I think new episodes air on Sunday evenings, but as is the case with ALL MTV shows, you can usually catch it as a part of some marathon of the show they are showing on that channel the other 23 and a half hours of the day that the new episode is not on.
If you haven’t seen the show before, I’ll try and break down a typical episode for you here. Every epidode follows EXACTLY the same pattern so the only things that are different are the theme of the party and the color of the imported luxury automobile at the end. Now try and keep up.
A typical uber-wealthy teenager decides she/he HAS to have a sweet sixteenth birthday party to put all other sixteenth birthday parties to shame. First, child and parental unit go dress and accessory shopping, then child and other parental unit go car shopping. Usually the parent tells the child that they shouldn’t get his/her hopes up about the car but we all know that is a lie. Then, the child goes to school and makes a HUGE production of passing out invitations to all her friends and trendy cool kids as the camera makes sure to capture the look of disappointment on the faces of the uninvited and the unwanted.
Then, there is always some last minute drama, typically involving bad hair or a rumor about party crashers or the child being late for his/her own party or if the child’s big dance/performance number is going to go well. And then there is ALWAYS the issue about which big name celebrity is going to be performing at the party (and I always enjoy how some one-hit wonder local rap artist is THE big celebrity that the kids are coveting so much).
The night of the party comes and there is always stress and more drama as the child wonders if the party is going to be a success. As things ALWAYS work out for the kid and the psuedo rock star performs and the party guests go crazy and allow themselves to be taped for an MTV show saying how great the party was and how there will never be a better party anywhere on the planet (or known universe), the viewer knows that there is only one scene remaining in the show. The big car reveal.
The father of the birthday kid will say that there is one more thing to do and invites everyone outside. MTV cues up the dramatic classical music to accompany the slow-mo shot of the party guests feverishly running outside. Once there, the dad reveals to his surprised child that very same mega-expensive, shiny, imported sports car he was warning them earlier not to get their hopes up for. Then there is the obligatory hug and heartfelt thanks for everything moment and then the credits roll on another episode.
So, didja get all that? Good.
Now, don’t get me wrong. I do enjoy this show. It is very entertaining and I liken it to the television equivalent of rubber-necking; it is something that I cannot take my eyes off. Yes, I’ll admit, I am very judgmental about it and, even though I could never afford to ever in my life be able to host such a party, I am allowed to tell myself that I would never allow a child of mine to be that spoiled and catty and brutal and mean and oblivious to the world outside of their wealthy family.
Because this show has been on for a few years, I cannot say that the kids that are portrayed here are really like the way they appear on tv. They most likely are magnifying their personalities for the sake of being a famous person on tv but I believe there is a lot of truth to the way they are acting. They seem to be extremely spoiled and don’t seem like very good people at all. And the parents are just as oblivious; oblivious to the point that they are just as blindsided by the fame aspect as well.
I can’t tell if MTV is showing this “stuff” on tv as a cautionary tale to young impressionable children not to be like these kids are or is MTV just exploiting the fact that America in 2006 cannot get enough of garbage like this. Sometimes I get the feeling that the network is trying to portray these kids in such a way that it would be downright ludicrous for anyone to try and act like this in real life, but I don’t think the kids that watch this show can really differentiate real from not real; especially the ones with more money than they know what to do with and the privilege to match.
Now, in my perfect little world where I could make people do what I wanted them to do, (for example, I was an executive at MTV and the only way the show would be broadcast was if my wishes were granted; not a likely scenario, but just go with it for the sake of allowing me to make my point, thanks), I would force every kid that appeared on a particular episode to gather together and watch the premiere of the show in the same place. The best part about this idea is that we would NOT be watching it in Hollywood or in Times Square or in an IMAX theatre.
No, the absolute best place for these people to gather together and watch the premier of their episode of insipid, overproduced, greed-filled opulence, would be in some small village in Africa, or in some coastal village in Thailand, or in some farming village in Guatemala, or in the heart of the poorest neighborhood of Bombay. Oh yeah, and all the villagers and locals would be a part of the premier party. It would be really interesting to see if the mood of the original party would be the same as the premier party or if it would, for some reason, be slightly different. If those kids (and parents) had any humility at all, I would hope that the MTV cameras caught that on film and tacked those scenes onto the end of the episode. In my heart of hearts, I believe that those kids (and their parents) would tone their act down a little; at least while the cameras were rolling.
How’s that for “My” Super Sweet Sixteen?
