Teen Mom has been a social project on what not to do as a teenager. It has been filled with drama, hysterics, and truck loads of fame whoring. This week’s installment, “The Next Step”, brought attention to domestic violence again. Butch (wow…) will not be winning any dad of the year awards! He is the father of stepsiblings Tyler Baltierra and Catelynn Lowell. He returned to prison after beating his wife (and their mom) April.
April tells Tyler on the episode, “Me and your dad got in a fight and he’s in jail. We got to arguing and one thing led to another.” The couple, who share a history of substance abuse, were drinking at the time of the incident. Butch allegedly shoved April to the floor and tried to strangle her with a towel. She tells Catelynn and Tyler, “There’s holes in the bathroom wall, you know, from my head.”
Tyler showed his stepmom a recent text from his dad, which read, “I do believe I love cocaine more than anything or anyone.”
Okay, let’s wrap this around our heads quickly. Butch gave April a beat down and turned out to be the worst mullet donning moron this side of Hills Have Eyes? Not only that, but he also sent Tyler a text about how much he loves coke? What is this man on? Oh, wait… Yeah, cocaine and copious amounts of Jack Daniels.
Tyler and Catelynn gave their daughter Carly up for adoption, and luckily they are able to console themselves: “Our innocence and childhood were stolen, [but] Carly is at home in her bed… She’s going to have such good memories of her childhood.” Thank the Lord that Carly doesn’t have to endure the abuse.
Many television critics have criticized Teen Mom for its stereotypical portrayal of teenage mothers. The show has also suffered severely under more conservative audiences, who have lambasted the reality show for its lack of morals and intelligence.
We tend to disagree. Teen Mom might be a very controversial reality television show, but it gives viewers a stark view of life outside of the safety of their living rooms. It must have stopped a few teenage pregnancies from occurring? The domestic violence is merely a symptom of the diseased society and is not only prevalent in poorer societies. Domestic violence crosses all boundaries and all racial lines. Take a look at Rihanna’s ordeal with Chris Brown and Tina Turner at the hands of Ike Turner and soon you come to realize that domestic violence is a rage-filled disease, which has only been exacerbated by the state of the economy and the financial woes of families.
We hope audiences are able to see the misery and detrimental effects of not only domestic abuse but also substance abuse in Teen Mom — which comes across more as a form of social commentary than a reality show.
Image Credit to MTV
