With the amount of "Bar Rescue" I have been watching lately, it has gotten me thinking about the term "guilty pleasure." It is a term thrown around when someone feels a little ashamed of enjoying something. I used to use this when I talked about watching "Survivor." It's a reality show, and I know that it's not on the same level as "Breaking Bad," but I enjoy it. I just had to add that caveat that "I know it's not a high-quality show."
I don't do that anymore, and I think the term "guilty pleasure" should become an obsolete phrase. We should not feel guilty about the media we consume.
I don't remember where I first heard it, but one of my go-to phrases is "I don't want to yuck anybody's yum." If you are watching/reading something, don't feel bad about it. If you love reality shows, own it. If you think reality shows are a sign of the apocalypse, don't judge people who love them. When I am watching a movie I don't like, I don't just write it off. I am not sitting there thinking, "Who thought this was good?" The answer is someone out there likes it. Every movie/TV show/book gets made for someone. It might not be for me, but there is someone out there who will enjoy it.
There are a ton of reasons why we watch/read things. It could be to educate (I just started the new Ken Burns documentary, "The American Revolution" on PBS), to be entertained, or to escape (to name a few). With all the time I have spent in the hospital lately, the main reason I had the TV on was to pass the time. Any reason you consume media is valid, and there is no reason to be ashamed of it.
