Bones (ep Conman in the Meth Lab)

Okay, this isn't really "devolution media" per se, but I'm watching an episode of Bones entitled Conman in the Meth Lab. The main crux of the episode is that Seeley Booth (David Boreanz) brother, Jared, is an alcoholic, who always turns to Booth for help when he's done something bad - like have an accident. And Booth always sacrifices something of his to get Jared off the hook. And Jared is so grateful that he continues to get drunk and have accidents, knowing his big brother will help him.

But that wasn't really what caught my eye. (Hopefully brothers/sisters going through that will think - gee, maybe I should stop being an enabler.)

No, the interesting thing was an interrogatin between a woman suspect and Booth and Brennan.

"My husband's job barely pays the bills, and we're trying to have another child."

I heard her say that and I just went... what? You're having trouble making ends meet as it is, but you're still going to have another child, so that you can go even deeper in debt? But of course there's always that ol' welfare to rely upon, which is given out regardless of the stupidity of the recipient.

And I just wonder, how many times does this happen in real life? People on welfare have no hesitation in having child after child - they know the government (and our taxes) will keep them from starvation. And of course if you try to point out to them that they have no right to have children that they can't afford on their own - first, they don't understand the concept, and second, they'll say it is interfering with their right as a woman to have a child. (The woman, obviously, saying this.)

For myself, I don't think women these days have a "right" to have a child. Obviously it's an extremely easy thing for most women to do. Get a guy, a total stranger off the street, have some sex, 9 months later you have your baby. If you're lucky you know the name of the father, but of course he'll take no responsibility for raising the tyke, that's the mom's job and the government's responsbility to pay for it.

And it's the media - these TV shows, not necessarily Bones but others that I'll talk about in due course, that encourage people to have these thoughts that living off the income of others is perfectly fine.