So with the summer off I have watched some television that I wouldn’t normally get to see. Today I was watching “Martha Stewart”. I’ve watched it a few times this summer and I have come to one conclusion about Martha that may surprise some people. I think Martha is an extremely rude person. I can’t figure out why anyone would watch her on a consistent basis. She is constantly interrupting her guests. They may be in the middle of a sentence or train of thought but to Martha it is so much more important for her voice to be heard. I know our society has become extremely rude over the years but I can’t understand why people like to watch this type of behavior.
Today she had a man on that has a “farm”, if you call 9300 acres a farm, in Tennessee. He raises lamb, grows a variety of different vegetables and fruits, and makes cheese and jams and so on. He was making some kind of lamb dish with the neck of a lamb that takes ten hours to braise in an oven. When Martha asked him about the products that he brought to the show she just wouldn’t let him finish his sentences. I felt sorry for the poor guy except I know he was glad to be on television “hawking” his goods. This must be why these people put up with her. I’ve watched her with some young “stars” make something in the kitchen that the star doesn’t really know how to do and she is overwhelmingly condescending. Some may view it as the “teacher” in her but I know you don’t have to be condescending to teach well. In fact, many students would be put off by that kind of teacher.
When she tried that show that was her version of Donald Trump’s “Apprentice” it didn’t go over so well and her contract wasn’t renewed. At that time I was a fan of Martha Stewart until she took the fledgling“apprentices” up to her farm. That was so over the top “overbearing” that I started to look at Martha in a different way. In my memory of what I didn’t like it felt like she was the queen and the apprentices were her underlings, “little bees” that would never attain the level of the queen bee. A true teacher would love their students to be so inspired that they attain a new level of expertise that shines beyond anything that the teacher would have dreamed for them.
Martha is not alone in her bad behavior. Donald Trump is just as obnoxious. Simon Cowell couldn’t be meaner when he stomps on the dreams of some young would be singer. There are many others that we seem to watch and love that exhibit this same obnoxious, rude behavior. I just don’t understand why the public loves these people. What are we, as a society, getting out of this rudeness that we see exhibited on a daily basis on our television sets? I find myself disappointed with this woman. I think it’s time for her to retire and yet as I watch her I can see that her audience loves her. I also see many new products continually being showcased on her show or out in the stores so people must be “buying” what she is selling. Over the years I have purchased many Martha Stewart items including my patio set. She has a brand that is huge. You can’t miss it. Even though she was tarnished a few years ago with her prison stint, she has bounced back. She is resilient. I just don’t like how absolutely rude she is to her guests. I think she is used to being the center of attention and it is difficult for her to allow anyone else to shine. She probably sucks out the air of any room she enters. She is like an amoeba engulfing every new apprentice, designer, etc. and taking what she needs and wants from them. For her it is probably just business but for me it is personal when I watch her being rude and obnoxious. I cannot help but wonder what our world is coming to when we can love these mean, rude and obnoxious people that we see on television.