Germaine Greer has had her say on Bruce Jenner’s despicable transition, and she really has not held back.
The writer, who is an outspoken feminist, has slammed the former Olympian’s gender reassignment - claiming that fans’ acceptance of her is an example of misogyny.
Speaking on BBC Newsnight as Cait has been tipped to be named Glamour’s Woman Of The Year, Germaine ranted: "I think misogyny plays a really big part in all of this, that a man who goes to these lengths to become a woman will be a better woman than someone who is just born a woman."
Germaine goes on to accuse Bruce of wanting to steal the limelight from her famous family, adding: "It seems to me that what was going on there was that he/she wanted the limelight that the other, female, members of the family were enjoying and has conquered it, just like that."
The ratings of Bruce’s reality TV show, "I Am Cait," are in freefall. The show’s second episode drew roughly half the audience of the premiere, which had 2.7 million viewers, according to Entertainment Weekly.
Forbes reports that the third episode dwindled to 1.19 million viewers and there’s nothing to indicate that the succeeding episodes, fared any better.
The show’s poor ratings have prompted most big advertisers to give it a wide berth and leave the media mavens who predicted a hit wondering what went wrong.
But none of this is surprising if one stops and thinks about what everyone watch and why. To begin with, consider the intersection of empathy and entertainment, a place seldom visited by reality TV.
Successful television shows only come in two flavors, optimistic or voyeuristic. Optimistic television includes morning news programs, daytime talk shows and most family sitcoms. From the smiles of the anchors to the timing of the laugh tracks, these shows are designed to trigger the endorphins that make us feel happy, hopeful and closer to our fellow humans.
Voyeuristic TV includes the nightly news, reality TV and heavy drama. Dramas like “Breaking Bad” give us a voyeuristic and escapist glance into a much darker world than our own, and after it’s over, the real world feels lighter by comparison.
"I Am Cait" is neither of the two.
The writer, who is an outspoken feminist, has slammed the former Olympian’s gender reassignment - claiming that fans’ acceptance of her is an example of misogyny.
Speaking on BBC Newsnight as Cait has been tipped to be named Glamour’s Woman Of The Year, Germaine ranted: "I think misogyny plays a really big part in all of this, that a man who goes to these lengths to become a woman will be a better woman than someone who is just born a woman."
Germaine goes on to accuse Bruce of wanting to steal the limelight from her famous family, adding: "It seems to me that what was going on there was that he/she wanted the limelight that the other, female, members of the family were enjoying and has conquered it, just like that."
The ratings of Bruce’s reality TV show, "I Am Cait," are in freefall. The show’s second episode drew roughly half the audience of the premiere, which had 2.7 million viewers, according to Entertainment Weekly.
Forbes reports that the third episode dwindled to 1.19 million viewers and there’s nothing to indicate that the succeeding episodes, fared any better.
The show’s poor ratings have prompted most big advertisers to give it a wide berth and leave the media mavens who predicted a hit wondering what went wrong.
But none of this is surprising if one stops and thinks about what everyone watch and why. To begin with, consider the intersection of empathy and entertainment, a place seldom visited by reality TV.
Successful television shows only come in two flavors, optimistic or voyeuristic. Optimistic television includes morning news programs, daytime talk shows and most family sitcoms. From the smiles of the anchors to the timing of the laugh tracks, these shows are designed to trigger the endorphins that make us feel happy, hopeful and closer to our fellow humans.
Voyeuristic TV includes the nightly news, reality TV and heavy drama. Dramas like “Breaking Bad” give us a voyeuristic and escapist glance into a much darker world than our own, and after it’s over, the real world feels lighter by comparison.
"I Am Cait" is neither of the two.