‘Welcome to the Neighborhood’ Cancelled for All the Wrong Reasons

Welcome to America, land of freedom and home of the political correctness that shackles it.

Recently, ABC made the decision to pull the plug on a controversial yet potentially socially enlightening reality TV show, Welcome to the Neighborhood. I am disappointed beyond belief.

The premise of the show was to be a look inside a predominantly white, wealthy neighborhood as contestants of other ethnic and social backgrounds competed to become accepted as the “chosen” neighbor and win the house of their dreams. From what previews I’ve seen, the homeowners are initially either frightened, annoyed, or repulsed at the crop of potential new neighbors. They act on stereotypes they have developed while living in their sheltered world. Essentially, the homeowners seemed to be good yet misguided people.

We are led to believe that the homeowners grow as people throughout the course of the series and stereotypes are thrown out the window. It seemed to me to be one of the first truly beneficial social experiments to hit reality TV [See My Big Fat Obnoxious Fiance for comparison]. Moreover, from what we saw, the editing even seemed to neither sensationalize the racism and ignorance to the point of caricaturizing the homeowners nor exaggerate the eccentricities of the potential neighbors.

There were no twentysomething waifs, nor shirtless hunks. From what I saw, there would be no wrestling in whipped cream or digging for sustenance on an island. It was as real as reality TV could get.

In real life, some people are bigots. In real life, some people want their neighbors to be just like them. In real life, multiple piercings and tattoos make soccer moms nervous. Neighborhood was potentially very, very real.

I disagree with the opinions of various anti-defamation groups that the show would promote bigotry and hatred. Their assertion was that since the first few weeks would show mostly resistance and racism, it would encourage the viewing public to be equally closed-minded and bigoted. I don’t know how it could be farther from the truth.

I know that when I watch people on TV with traits one should not envy, I tend to be even more resistant to those traits. If I see bigots, I try to be more tolerant. If I see someone who is cruel, I try to be more kind. If I see someone who talks too much, I try to keep my big mouth shut. (Okay, I’m a talker… You could ask my husband, but he never gets a word in edgewise.)

We were given the opportunity to see inside the cliquish gated communities of posh suburban America and get a glimpse of our own prejudices. It could have been a truly groundbreaking and beneficial experience. Maybe a homeowner’s association somewhere would loosen their tacit grip on the ethnic makeup of their neighborhood. Maybe one “traditional” neighbor would be just a little bit nicer to the gay couple next door. Maybe a tattooed man would see fewer families grab their children and walk on the other side of the street as he approached.

Maybe, just maybe, a chink would have been put in the armor of bigotry.

Toni is stranded in her ranch house in the middle of the Mohave Desert with nothing but her dogs, horses, cats, children and reality TV to keep her company. She can be reached with questions and comments at celebreality@starband.net.

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