Day 15: Lights, Camera, Transaction

The other night, at the height of my emotion over the George Zimmerman verdict, I made a joke. I realized later that it was probably in poor taste, but I made it anyway.

I joked that I was willing to bet that by Christmas time, George Zimmerman would probably be a Fox News analyst. Two days later, my joke came to fruition. I was right about the gig, just wrong about the network, though honestly, for someone who loves to be right, I wish I had been wrong about the whole mess.

CNN announced today that George Zimmerman is getting his own reality show, slated to premiere this fall. Apparently CNN (who aired the trial almost exclusively) enjoyed the high ratings it received from broadcasting the death of an innocent child and wishes to continue the ratings ride. They admitted, rather unabashedly, that they don't believe that the "cameras should go dark after the courtroom drama ends".

Oh, but you haven't heard the worst part yet (yes, it gets worse). The tagline: "Whether he's navigating the inside of a jailhouse, or back on the neighborhood watch beat - only CNN will give you the exclusive inside scoop every Friday at 8pm / 7 central." And no, I'm not joking.

Is it just me, or do the Kardashians suddenly seem really classy in comparison to this nonsense??

Furthermore, I have to ask: What is with our obsession with reality TV? Why does anyone care what goes on in the life of someone else?  Is it all about the ratings? The money? The fame? Whether it's Kim and Kanye, Zimmerman, Dancing with Stars, So You Think You Can Dance Better Than A Smart Fifth Grade American Who's Got Talent....It's too MUCH. And something like this can't even be viewed as any form of fun escapism, in my opinion. Verdict aside, politics aside, this is just wrong. It's sick. It takes voyeurism to a whole new, creepy level. He's barely out of jail and he has a TV show. I'm sure a book deal, movie, and 55 hour marriage to Brittany Spears aren't far behind.