TV & Exaggeration

Indiana has only had a few television debuts. We had a show in Muncie called Armed & Famous where celebrities became cops and helped patrol Muncie. However, the show came on the same time as American Idol so it only lasted one season. There was a girl from Indiana that made it onto America's Next Top Model. She showed Tyra her pen collection and started balling off set. Then there is Amber from Teen Mom who just makes Indiana look so classy. Most of the time Indiana is made to look like a hick state full of trashy people. The people from here who have managed to make it onto TV have reinforced that stereotype. Having a show about cops in Muncie was not showing all the good traits about this town.. I am from Muncie and although I am not always fond of the place when people generalize all the locals and say "ugh Muncie locals" I cannot help but get offended. Not everyone from here is like the people you see at Wal-Mart wearing their pajama pants in the middle of the day. This generalization based on the exaggerated traits of some locals is insulting to those who both those who fall under that stereotype and those who don't. This applies to Honey Boo Boo and the Real Housewives of New Jersey. Many people from Jersey dislike these shows because they show the norm to be an exaggeration and very unrealistic to what it is really like to be in Jersey. Those individuals suffering from poverty most likely dislike Honey Boo Boo for giving people in similar situations a reputation.