"IMAGINE THE EPISODE WHERE THEY HAVE TO INTERVIEW MAIDS," CHORTLED ONE CBS EXECUTIVE. How many ways can one TV network get it wrong?
No. 1: Pick the last group of Americans about whom disparaging stereotypes go almost unchallenged: the people of Appalachia. No. 2: After a "hick hunt," as one headline put it, relocate an entire "lower middle class" family, including kids and grandparents, to 90210. No. 3: Revive the "Beverly Hillbillies" label and slap it on a cheap-to-produce reality show for even cheaper laughs. No. 4: Let the real-life humiliation begin. There are lots of things TV could help us know about rural America. Some things, like the realities of poverty, unemployment and environmental degradation, are painful to talk about, challenging to hear. Others, because of the grit, courage and faith of rural families and communities, might actually teach a thing or two to privileged entertainment executives. This spring, CBS hopes to unveil its latest reality show -- "The Real Beverly Hillbillies." The concept is simple: uproot a poor rural family, transplant its members into a Los Angeles mansion, let the camera roll -- and then laugh at them. Tolerance.Org http://www.tolerance.org/news/article_hate.jsp?id=665 and the Center for Rural Strategies http://www.ruralstrategies.org/index.html are trying to stop this grotesque "spectacle" before it starts. There are 56 million rural Americans and they are NOT fair game for CBS executives to contort and make sport of to line their pockets. You can help stop CBS. Call (323.575.2345 & 323.575.2600) or e-mail CBS CEO Les Moonves. Tell your friends about CBS's plans and sign this petition http://www.ruralstrategies.org/campaign/join.html. Don't let CBS ridicule rural America.
