"You'd Better Redneckognize"

That, my friends, is the mantra of my new favorite diva child in this world, Honey Boo Boo.

I watched TLC's Here Comes Honey Boo Boo for my very first time last night, and let me just say this: I was blind, but now I see.

My initial reaction was indignation. Watching Mamma and Sugar Bear romp around with Honey Boo Boo and Glitzy the pig while I sat on my bed WITHOUT a nickname was too much to handle. I soon stopped being a hater, googled 'Honey Boo Boo Nickname Generator' and found that my nickname would be 'Allie Giggles' should I decide to relocate to McIntyre, Georgia. I got into their scene REAL quick--and I haven't looked back since.

From what I understand, Alana (alias Honey Boo Boo) was a contestant on my OTHER favorite TLC show Toddlers and Tiaras. She was just SO over the top (thanks, in no small part, to her pre-pageant ritual of chugging Mountain Dew) that she and her family earned their own show. The show chronicals her quest through pageantry and the sacrifices the family members make to help her stay in the game. 

This HuffPo article claims that Honey Boo Boo gained more ratings than Bill Clinton's speech at the DNC (at least those that tuned into CNN). Good for those people. I WISH I had skipped Bill and watched HBB--am I really the only person I that found his speech to be slimy and unbearable?

Opponents of Honey Boo Boo think that she and her family paint an inaccurate picture of the American South. To those people I say calm down, find a hobby, or just stfu. You're the ones choosing to compare yourselves to them, and I somehow doubt they give a shit about representing you. HBB's mom June, "Mamma", analyzes the opponents with this logic:

"I don't claim to represent all of Georgia, I've never said that. Those haters that are criticizing us about what's on the show are watching us every week. So we call them our 'closet fans', people who don't wanna admit they watch the show."

LOVE that attitude--but really, what I love most about what I've seen so far is the fact that everyone seems so comfortable just being themselves. It's so refreshing. As much as I dig the Kardashians and their fake problems, I gotta say I'm so into HBB.

Instead of justifying why I'm spending my free time watching reality TV instead of working my way through Atlas Shrugged, please refer my academic essay In Defense of Trash TV. Here's an HBB extended promo...as if you need more convincing.