Commentary By Adam Smith

The North Jefferson News



I received a phone call a couple of weeks ago from a concerned reader.

She had read an article in the regional big city paper about the “Supernanny” being in Warrior. For those of you who are uninformed like I was, “The Supernanny” is a reality show on ABC in which a pleasant British woman (akin to “Mary Poppins”) goes around to people’s homes and attempts to restore some form of law and order while doling out pearls of parenting wisdom.

Anyway, she was calling me because she wanted something put in our paper about the fact that the “Supernanny” wasn’t staying with a Warrior family, but instead a family in western Blount County. Fair enough, there you have it.

However, last week I received another “Supernanny” related phone call. The person informed me that he had seen the “Supernanny” with his own eyes at the Warrior Piggly Wiggly.

“This woman sure does get around,” I thought to myself. First western Blount and now Warrior. Oh, the distance!

The more I got to thinking about it, the more I just got more aggravated.

I’ve always hated the concept of reality television for several reasons. For starters, there are always two or three common denominators with every reality show: 1) Buxom blonde with intelligence issues; 2) Dark, brooding model-type guy with chemical dependence or relationship vulnerabilities; 3) Deeply southern redneck guy or gal (usually from Mississippi, Alabama or Georgia) that the whole world can make fun of.

In the case of the “Supernanny,” it’s clear that the last one would apply. Once again, some uneducated corporate types (who are probably a heck of a lot less educated than most Alabamians) have the idea to once again exploit the stereotypes of the south.

This time, they have the brilliant idea to send some poor British woman to the land of NASCAR, football, hunting, Mountain Dew and banjos. Hilarity ensues.

In their minds, I’m sure the idea of fusing “Mary Poppins” and “Talladega Nights” must have seemed like a good idea, but it still irritates me.

It’s the same feeling I get when a tornado barrels through a town and the television crew will look for the dumbest, homeliest-looking person (usually wearing a wrasslin’ shirt no less) to interview.

The south has always provided a bountiful comic cornucopia for Yankees to laugh at. But us southerners should have more pride in what we are and not let some Hollywood types decide how the rest of the world sees us.

After all, there are stupid people all over the world, from the nation’s best hospitals all the way up to the White House. They are everywhere.

However, the stupid people in the south are OUR stupid people and only WE should be allowed to laugh at them because they belong to us.

Mickey Mouse and the rest of those Goofy jokers at ABC should laugh at those west coast nerds for a while.

They’re just as deserving.