When poverty becomes a game

Television critics are sour people. Pretentious idiots who use their vocabulary to mock the hardworking TV maker and the average viewer. At least those are the accusations I regularly receive online.

However, I am someone who is always looking for the bright spots. The optimist in me likes to believe in my maker Astrid and Natalia return to reality They sincerely want to raise awareness of poverty through their program. Just as I am willing to assume that the two friends are nice ladies and full of good intentions. So it's a shame I have to stop sharing the good news here.

VTM's new reality show was made by people who are clearly more interested in entertainment than in fighting poverty. Singer Natalia and reality star Astrid Coppins will pretend for a month to be single mothers on limited income. Yolo! Pretending to be miserable may be entertaining television, but morally it is a tightrope walk.

However, the game makers don't seem to care much about this. In the first episode, for example, we see the two TV faces walking around the Turnhout house they will soon move into with their offspring. They point out that it does not smell fresh. And the floor is ugly. The duo clearly didn't think many people would be thrilled by the many bedrooms and spacious garden.

champagne

Moreover, you can laugh at the strangeness of Astrid's car, which cannot park without the technological support of sensors and a rear-view camera. Poverty alone is not funny. The program spends exactly one introductory sentence stating that four out of ten (!) Belgians have difficulty making ends meet. And they're not even talking about the eighteen percent who actually live in poverty and have to choose between buying bread and turning on the heating every month.

It is certain that in the upcoming episodes it will be both mothers shitty For many Belgians, doing part-time jobs is part of their daily reality. Predictably, control-freak Astrid will find this exhausting. But the luxury that awaits you at home makes it a bad experience.

And even though I'm now bringing out the cynical reviewer in myself, you still have to wonder who exactly is benefiting from this program. There is no doubt that the two heroes earn more than minimum wage during their month in Cinderella Land. And I'm not even talking about the revenues of the channel itself. Bring the champagne, guys!

I accept mine every day pollekes Because I can pay my bills without excessive stress. Moreover, I wish Natalia and Astrid their villa. But it's best not to be on the receiving end of other people's chronic financial worries. It is a shame that so many people in this rich country have to scratch every month. When BVs are openly surprised by the fact that not all cars have air conditioning, I feel vicarious embarrassment.

Monday evening on VTM 2.