Have you ever watched the Real Housewives of Orange County? Yes there is a reality TV show that follows wealthy socialites around. Ok, I’ll admit it; I watch it! I think it’s intriguing to know that a show is being filmed so close to our base.
Recently there’s been media frenzy about a U.S. Marine, Ryan, who is on one of the shows. I know what you’re thinking. How did
a Marine get on reality TV? Well he married the daughter (Briana) of one
of the Housewives, so voila, he’s in!
He’s actually been on the show for some time but during one of the
tapings for the season finale it got heated and all hell broke loose. Apparently, Ryan did not appreciate an older woman propping her feet upon a couch in the home of his mother-in-law and proceeded to berate her while the cameras were rolling. He alleged they didn’t air everything on TV and she was as much to blame as him but suffice it to say the footage made him look bad.
Cue the irate and irrational Americans. Viewers flocked to social media and threw out so many terms about this situation. PTSD was the first one to catch on and it spread like wildfire only because viewers know he has been and is going overseas as a service
member. Honestly, going to the grocery store on base can give me severe enough stress that I’d rather wait until 10 minutes before it closes to walk in there than the middle of the day on a payday. Samething goes for the traffic and road rage
in LA. I wouldn’t be so quick to judge and diagnose here people, especially about something you have no clue about. What’s funny is the cast members on the show could probably be certifiably insane at times but no one has ever accused them of having PTSD.
Regardless of the inexcusable behavior, albeit alcohol related or otherwise; I hope he looks in the mirror and realizes that on reality TV, Americans are looking at him and his family like a Science Fair project and those opinions might be blanketed towards other military families. I wish that all along the journey of having the new Marine Corps couple on TV they would’ve detailed how this new change in her life has been, the classes she’s taken and how she’s coping. Whether or not she likes it. Briana is a highly visible Marine Corps spouse now that can help newer spouses deal with the unknowns our lifestyle can throw at us. I will extend an invitation to Briana and the entire family to come to Camp Pendleton and sit downwith some of us salty seasoned
Marine Corps families and become well acquainted with our world.
So what do you think? Is reality TV good for the Marine Corps?
Questions or comments? Email us at Military Press at keepinformed@militarypress.com! You can also follow my blog @ http://marinecorpswives101.wordpress.com/.
