16 and Pregnant...The Stupidity is Frightening



I was bugged relentlessly to watch the show Sixteen and Pregnant. I did. And all I can say is that I have lost 45 minutes of my life that I will never get back and I am going to hunt down and mercilessly beat the individual who encouraged me to watch that show. Actually it’s not a show as much as it’s an attempt to show idiotic teenagers “making it work” as parents-to-be. And the episode I watched left me sitting speechless for a good five minutes after I turned it off because I could not believe that these people actually exist in our society and that MTV was giving them a platform to show how “difficult” their situation is when in reality these children are no more than walking hormones who couldn’t spend the five bucks to go and buy a three pack of condoms at the gas station down the street from the parked car they used as an escape from their overbearing parents who just want the best for them. I know, parents are so unreasonable. What assholes!
The episode I watched was the first show of Season 4, it starred the tumbling wonder Mackenzie and her obviously terrified and/or brain damaged “love of her life” Josh. Mackenzie is just a fun loving, cheerleading sophomore who got pregnant because, well, Josh was able to persuade her. Hot damn! Josh must be some master manipulator of emotions and temptations! Except he isn’t because if you put Josh next to a tree and were asked to pick which one was capable of thoughts and rudimentary speech patterns you would pick the tree because the rustling leaves would create more coherent sentences than that farmer tanned waste of chromosomes.
It was at this point in the show, when they introduced the “couple,” that I threw up in my mouth. That was the first two minutes. I was excited.
After the wonderful intros, we are thrust into the very interesting lives of these two future parents when Mackenzie is 24 weeks preggo. And where do we find our waddling wonder? At her cheerleading/tumbling school. Now, many of you reading this are not pregnant, but I can tell you from experience, when a woman is 24 weeks pregnant all she wants to do is sit down after a long day and have her husband rub her tired and swollen feet. Not this one! She just wanted to tumble! I had to keep myself from chucking my computer through a window at this part of the show. She wasn’t looking for a job, she wasn’t getting diapers or baby proofing the house or doing anything that is related to the F’N BABY COMING! It was her stupid cheerleading! Which she couldn’t do because, guess why! SHE HAS A BABY GROWING IN HER UTUERUS! But this action pales in comparison to her dud of a man Joshua.
Josh, at the same time his girl is trying to roll around the tumbling mat, is not looking for a job. Nope, not this future father! He’s got himself a plan to support is family. That plan? RODEO! That’s right! This penis carrying a body is going to make money by riding “broncs.” Even though he has received several concussions and has been told by doctors to not continue to do anything remotely close to rodeo, HE GON’ DO IT ANYWAY! Let’s just forget the fact that he’s 18, never busted into a semi-pro bronco riding circuit, has significant concussion issues, and is just a total dumb ass. If we forget all that, yeah, he’s got a chance! When he was talking to his friend about his plan to do rodeo to support his new family, his friend did not do the right thing and say, “Well, I think you should get a job somewhere you can get a steady income and reliable benefits so you can support you new kid.” HELL NO! He told him, “Don’t take away nobody’s rodeo.” Well, shit, thanks friend! Obviously you’re just as dumb as Captain Bronco Buster over there! No wonder you two are friends.
Despite the shallow depth of our two main characters, I continued to give the show a chance. I thought for sure there would be some redeeming qualities at some point. Instead I got some wonderfully staged and awkwardly forced moments between mother and daughter.
Mackenzie is sitting in her room and her Mom walks in to have a little heart to heart with her daughter. This is odd enough with a camera crew watching every moment, but the conversation was just…unrealistic. The first thing out of Mom’s concerned mouth is, “How did this happen?” Alright, valid question…if it was asked when little Mackenzie was about four weeks along. But at this point she’s now 28 weeks! And Mackenzie gave a great answer, “I don’t know, it just happened.” Huh? Really? Just happened? Even saying, “He tripped over one of his lucky horseshoes and to break his fall he dropped his pants mid-descent. And me, being the caring girlfriend I am, dropped my pants and tried to break his fall with my backside because I thought with all those years of tumbling and cheer my booty should be ample enough to absorb the impact and prevent bodily harm from coming to my wonderful boyfriend. And wouldn’t you know it, as I braced my body to absorb the impact, his penis went right into my vagina and boom, pregnant,” would have been a better explanation.
To go along with staged performances, at 33 weeks, we find that Josh is involved in a car accident with a Semi. Now, I did feel bad for him at this point because I don’t wish anyone to die or be harmed. That would be terrible. But, when they show this bastard in the next scene, they reveal that he has a severe neck injury and has to wear a neck brace, but he’s moving just fine and HAS NO BRUISES, SCRAPES, CUTS, BROKEN BONES, NOTHING! WHAT! This guy is hit by a Semi and has no other injuries than a hurt neck that he can’t remember is hurt! Holy shit! It was at this point that I now am waiting for Josh to be killed by being kicked in the head by one of those broncos that he can’t stop thinking of. Or when the baby is born, it shoots out like a human cannonball from Mackenzie’s vagina and he is standing watching and it takes his head off. Just picture that and try not to hope for that to actually happen. I do. Every. Damn. Time. I hate Josh.
It was at this point I gave up on the show. I stopped paying attention until there was a baby in the picture. And I was not disappointed. The baby boy, Gannon, was born through c-section because he was too large. And I mean LARGE, as in stereotypical fat baby! Michelin Man type baby fat. I was really happy with that because I was secretly hoping for it the entire time. Made me feel like I had an impact in the out come.
They cut to the second night at the home of the new happy couple, sleeping in the living room of Mackenzie’s parents. And the baby is crying every 2 – 3 hours, and both Mackenzie and Josh are surprised by that fact. Josh doesn’t get off his ass to pick up the baby and keeps sleeping. I’m sure he knew since he didn’t have boobs he couldn’t do anything anyways, so why bother. What a man! I hope he gets his penis caught in a barbed wire fence. Or a bucking bronco kicks him in the junk and his testicles just explode rendering him sterile. I really hate Josh.
And through the entire episode, Josh has only worn three shirts. They’re all those real deep cut-off sleeve shirts too. You know, classy! Something that shows he’s ready to be a Dad. And Mackenzie isn’t any better. At seven weeks old, Mackenzie brings Gannon to her tumbling studio so she can start practicing again. Forgetting that she is now responsible for another human being, she continues to neglect getting a job, finding any way to continue school, preparing her parents house, or just being a reliable parent. She tries to go tumbling, probably because the producers of the show told her to. Or because she’s an idiot and can only think about herself. I still hate Josh more.
I notice that I have only five minutes of the show left and shut if off. I cannot stand watching another second of these uninformed, unprepared “parents” and their pathetic lives. I then came to a realization. This entire show is based on these kids being stupid and getting pregnant and then filming their “normal” lives and showing us that struggle for entertainment. But I don’t know that most teenagers see it as a struggle. They see it as another reality show that they could be a part of and participate in. And if this episode is any indication, these are the couples that I do not want raising children.
All I can say is be smart my young friends. I know that as teenagers things happen (hell, ask your parents what they did when they were in high school! They may not even answer the question!) You’re exploring relationships and you’re maturing faster than your parents would care to have. All I ask is that you take care of yourselves and take the proper measures to protect yourselves. Enjoy your freedoms while you’re young. Plan for children when you are a bit older and able to carry that responsibility. We’ll all be better off for it.

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