My 600-Lb. Life has come under a lot of fire for a lot of different reasons in the past. And now, some viewers are discussing whether or not the show’s practices are exploitative.
We’ve seen a wide variety of guests over the past several years. But does everyone have the full capacity to consent and understand what’s going on? Read on to see what Reddit thinks.
Viewers think My 600-Lb. Life guests may not have the full capacity to consent
Reddit users posted a very interesting discussion online recently.
“Anyone else questioning some of these people’s ability to consent?” the original poster asks. “Sean, Holly, Margaret…. These are three examples of people whom we could all easily tell that they weren’t too well developed mentally. I get the idea that Lacey Buckingham and Randy (Lisa E’s boyfriend) and Seana all have similar mental handicaps that were completely overlooked by the ahem fantastic systems we have in place.”
“I’m starting to feel gross thinking that they may not have had the full capacity to consent to having their lives aired on TV,” they continued. “I highly doubt the producers tell them anything beyond ‘You’ll get $2000 to eat a meal for four people chewing with your mouth open.’ I also doubt the people I mentioned understood any of what entails being on the show. Is anybody else feeling really gross about the choosing of some of the show’s subjects?”
The post generated a mixed bag of results. Some users agreed with the original poster, while others suggested that some of the My 600-Lb. Life guests are sometimes just very immature.
Others argued that some of the guests come from really tough backgrounds and that plays a role in their demeanor too.
What do you think about TLC’s intentions here? Is My 600-Lb. Life exploitative to some of its guests? Leave your ideas in the comments.
Does Dr. Now play a role in this?
While some viewers think TLC is exploiting some guests, other My 600-Lb. Life fans think Dr. Now has way too much power. In a different thread, fans suggested that the show’s guests put way too much stock into what Dr. Now has to say.
He may be an amazing bariatric surgeon, but he’s only one man. And he can’t magically make anyone lose the weight they need.
TLC knows that a lot of viewers tune in specifically to see how Dr. Now reacts to difficult patients. And it’s entirely possible that they give him power to keep money coming in.
If you have any opinions on the show’s practices and TLC’s involvement, be sure to sound off in the comments. We’re really curious to know what you think here.
