What makes the Octomom newsworthy?  No one I know- at work, at home, out in public- has any interest or desire to know more about this woman.  The one reaction that seems universal to all is revulsion.  People are angry that this disturbed woman is burdening all of us with her irrational need for more and more children.  But is all as it seems?

Other than this, no one wants to hear about her.  So then why do we still see her on the news nightly and read about her in the papers daily?  What makes the media think this is what we consider news?  Is there some truth we’re not addressing?

Like so many other meaningless stories of the past (hello Joey Buttafuoco), these headlines get ratings thanks to our built-in gossip nature.  The deep-seeded, unspoken human desire for reassurance that no matter how jacked up our lives are, there are others who are worse off.  Octomom gets ratings, what other explanation can there be?  None of us wants to admit it, but there must be far more tuning in to find out the latest on the baby factory than we suspect.

Like any televised show, the news is beholden to the network that carries them.  The networks survive on advertising dollars- and ratings determine the price of said ads.  So it’s in the media’s best interest to show topics that bring higher ratings, even if the subject matter bleeds our brain cells dry.  If we as a culture want to see it, they will show it to us.  It’s just good business.

This begs the question: who then is the source of the Octomom overexposure?  Nadya Suleman herself for having the mental issues that drove her to overpopulation?  The news media for constantly exploiting the juicy details?  Or the society that can’t seem to get enough of the car crash?  That decision I leave to you.

Thanks for indulging me.

-Fitz