Reality TV had dealt with hoarding before Hoarders. TLC's Clean Sweep and Style's Clean House framed the problem as "clutter." Though it's clear that hoarding their homes past the point of livability is a real source of pain for the subjects of Clean House, describing their disease as "Clutter-itis"?rather than as, well, mental illness minimizes it as a manageable quirk. If either show's producers connected subjects with therapists, it didn't happen on camera.
The playful tone of both shows was that of a fresh and unique take on the home-owning experience. I liked House more than Sweep because the latter wasn't sufficiently punitive of its messy subjects, and felt no guilt. After all, our search for new opportunities to judge strangers is why reality television exists. The pleasure of judging strangers is the reason I watch Supernanny (though I don't have kids) and The Dog Whisperer (though I don't have a dog) and What Not To Wear (though my personal style is impeccable). I wasn't watching Clean Sweep and Clean House to get organizational tips I could apply to my own clutter; my home is compulsively tidy. I was watching shows about people who weren't on my level so that I could feel superior.
When Hoarders came along, my reasons for watching it were no different?but my feelings about watching it were much more complicated. No one involved in the production of Hoarders could make its subjects' problems seem cute or quirky. These people's homes are so irredeemably messy that they're suffering from health problems due to mold, dust, or worse. Their plumbing or electricity hasn't been functional in years. Animal waste?from pets, pests, or both?is everywhere. They're so unable to help themselves that they're risking eviction. These hoards are serious, and the show takes them very seriously.
Source: http://feeds.slate.com/click.phdo?i=39d2eec4d3cd918e08146fd814d9a155
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