What's Wrong With This World? Wife Swap?

This, in not one but two different emails to our homeschool website:

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Contact Us
Email: ABC TV Inquiry
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Text they wrote: Hello,


My name is Danielle Gervais. I'm a Casting Producer for ABC's Primetime show, "Wife Swap." I hope you don't mind me contacting you, but we're gearing up for a fourth season at the moment and we're currently looking for one-of-a-kind families with plenty of personality! Specifically, we're looking for parents who strongly believe in alternative forms of education for their children. Please feel free to forward this email on to anyone you think would be interested in taking part in this once-in-a-lifetime experience.

In case you are unfamiliar with the show, the premise of Wife Swap is to take two different families and have the moms switch places to experience how another family lives. Half of the week, mom lives the life of the family she is staying with. Then she introduces a "rule change" where she implements rules and activities that her family has. It's a positive experience for people to not only learn but teach about other families and other ways of life. Wife Swap airs on Disney owned ABC television on Mondays at 8 pm- the family hour!

Requirements: Each family must consist of two parents and at least one child between 7 and 17 and should reside in the continental U.S.   (There may be other children living in the home who are older or younger than the required age…as long as one child is in the required age range.)

Participating in the show is a very unique experience that can be life changing for everyone.  In addition, each family that tapes an episode of Wife Swap receives $20,000 as compensation for their time.   Anyone who refers a family that appears on our program receives $1000 as a 'thank you’ from us.

I appreciate you taking the time to read this email and I hope to hear from you soon.  If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me! If you're interested in learning more, please don’t forget to include your contact information.

Thank you for your time,

Danielle Gervais

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My Reply went like this:

Dear Danielle,

I appreciate your two similar yet different emails. As flattered as I am with the idea that you consider my family a one-of-a-kind, I am not interested in participating in Wife Swap.

As an educated person, I find that sort of TV program insulting to anyone's intelligence, especially women. As for the requirements, I recently divorced a husband and I would not consider for a moment taking on someone else's husband, especially for other peoples' entertainment. In fact, I don't consider this sort of TV programming entertainment at all.

Webmaster

And people wonder why some of us homeschool. We live in a world that really no longer makes sense to me.

Who watches this stuff - and more interesting to me - why?

OldSage