Claude Montpetit -- Montpetit.net -- en

While zapping a few minutes ago, I bumped into the conclusion of a reality TV show called Extreme MakeOver. A women was returning to her family with a complete tune up: nose job, boobs, chin, and other treatments that I must have missed while I was pinching myself to wake up.

Her family welcomed her in tears. They were all really really happy with the results. Her mother said should could become an actress now. The commentator concludes repeatedly saying that she is really really happy because she is now normal. Normal?!? Did I hear right? Not that there is anything wrong with wanting to have some surgery, but to say that she was not normal before the surgery is totally perverse!

A few minutes later, about a rock star wannabe that got a similar treatment, the commentator concludes like this: "From horror show to show time".

This is completely insane. And all this on a USA national TV network (ABC).

Take an increasingly popular phenomenon that has its merits (reality TV), and push it to the limit until it becomes completely ridiculous and even harmful: you get Extreme Makeover, among other things. I call it escalation that bursts the roof of sanity.