Oh I forgot about this, a couple of weeks ago i watched the ABC television show Wife Swap. Normally i do not watch this show as it is a bit too over the top dramatic for me . I don’t know why I ended up watching this time, but I did. I probably shouldn’t have because it was outrageous and offensive to me. This is one wife swap drama that they probably shouldn’t have televised.
The one husband appeared to be an elitist…a snob of a royal kind. He was rude, insulting…condescending and very emotionally cruel to the wife that was swapped to his home. He came across as a total jerk. He tried to change the game halfway through the program. He refused to change the rules or activities like other families do during the second week; he threatened to stop the show, he ignored the swapped wife; and, he encouraged his children to do the same.
If you have never seen this show… it is a show where two families swap wives/mothers with each other. Of course, the families for dramatic reasons are two exact opposites when it comes to lifestyles or practices. When the women change places…they do as the family normally does the first week….during the second week, everything changes and the women implement changes/rules that they think would better or improve that family.
This particular show, Stephen Fowler, was openly hostile, rude, emotionally critical, verbally abusive and controlling. He made statements about middle class Americans who he referred to as Rednecks. He called the “wife” fat, lazy, ignorant, stupid…etc. He insulted her education. It crossed the boundaries of dramatic television and entered into nothing but abusive conduct, in my opinion.
It seems that Mr. Fowler is now experiencing a huge backlash about his conduct and his wounding words. Rightly so! He tried to be so superior to everyone and everything that he came across to be very boorish. I thought his wife, in retrospect, was fairly decent in her dealings with her family that she was swapped to; for the most part, at least until she was reunited with her husband.
At first, when his behavior came to light, during the meeting between families at the end of the show…she appeared to be somewhat ashamed of the things when she was told of what he said and did. Still, a person who conducts themselves so very openly and unapologetically towards another person…has to have exhibited that sort of behavior before, i would think. How could anyone allow their children to be raised around that level of contempt and disrespect for others? How will those children relate to others in the future?
I thought to myself, if I were his wife…i would be ashamed to show my face because people would know what kind of a man she had married. I would wonder if people thought that I thought the same things about others that her husband appeared to believe. I also thought, a man who appeared to be filled with such contempt for others should not be allowed to have so much influence on young children’s minds (he and his wife had children there who watched how he treated the swapped wife). He was demonstrating cruelty to another fellow human being; simply because he thought she deserved his contempt.
But at the end of the show, both Mr. Fowler and his wife, left me feeling glad that I no longer had to listen to him. I really though that he could win an award for the most offensive person on television that week for sure; if someone would take a vote.
I guess Mr and Mrs. Fowler’s neighbors are frustrated because people are driving by their home and pointing; and, someone even egged the Fowler’s home. Someone has been passing out fliers with the Fowler’s name, address, and pictures on it. These things are not ok. Of course, the neighbors did nothing wrong…so this of course, affects them too.
This printing of fliers, finger pointing traffic, and egging is considered harassment. Of course, no one should condone harassment or violence towards anyone…however, Mr. Fowler certainly struck a chord with many people. It would appear that by his own words he behaved like a jerk and people were not ok with that.
Most people who have such a strong opinion towards others learn to keep it to themselves; or, find a more appropriate way to express themselves; rather than going on national television. This past week, it was announced that Prince Harry, of Great Britain, is going to be taking sensitivity training because of something that he said about another person. It would appear that being sensitive towards those who are different, from ourselves, is something many of us could benefit from.
Write where you are 