Why I Love Ratchet Reality

Ratchet is the best way to be right now. Ratchet is the best way to feel currently. Being from a hood background and still having a hood attitude is "In" for 2012. But no, you should not leave your house acting ratchet.

Recently Love and Hip Hop Atlanta, one of Vh1's newest reality shows, premiered. Currently it is three shows deep and pulling in over 3 million viewers per episode. However, that is not because of the reality show title. This is a new kind of reality that we are getting addicted to. Love and Hip Hop Atlanta appeals to the ratchet life.

I typed in ratchet television and Joseline came up.

There is the married music producer (Stevie J married to MiMi Faust) who is also sleeping with one of his artists (Joseline). Joseline also happens to be a woman Stevie J met and rescued from the strip club. In the last three episodes MiMi has become an angry black woman, Joseline has gotten pregnant, and Stevie J has just not cared at all.

Then there the soulful voice, also known as K. Michelle. She's struggling to get her career back on track after running through a million dollar record deal with no album to show for it. K. Michelle is a driven individual with a story. However, she's also straight hood. You read her tweets and envision a successful suburban woman, but then see her on television and see a real ghetto character that you love.

Just with those four individuals alone I fall into the trance of the television on Monday nights and become entertained. These people have real stories and real interesting personalities that I just love. I love Stevie J's I-Don't-Give-A-Fuck attitude. I love MiMi's emotional outbursts. I love Joseline's peeing on a pregnancy test in front of the camera for the whole world to see. I love how Joseline does not know how pregnant (if at all) she is. Most of all I love K. Michelle's honesty.

You just don't see this stuff everyday. At an eight hour job people put on this facade. They do the work they're told to do, barely speak unless there's a mistake made, and never show any real personality. I know the person working at Burger King probably has some crazy stories to tell about still living with their parents. I know the woman working at the bank probably has child support papers on her baby daddy. The co-worker sitting next time me probably gets drunk on the weekends,  but I don't hear about that. We don't hear about what goes on with the people around us. However, we can tune into the all the craziness of reality while watching television.

Now some people have said shows, such as Love and Hip Hop Atlanta, has taken the foolishness way too far. However, I don't want to see a Huxtables reality on my television. That's boring and unrealistic. I don't want to see "The Days of Oprah" broadcast across my television. She's too rich to be entertaining now.

I want to see controlling men grace my television screen. That's how men are. I want to see mistresses get pregnant. I hear about it, but where are they? Now I know Joseline is one of them. I want to hear about the hood mamas that sold drugs for a living and probably did them too. That's Frankie (Keisha Cole's mom), Mama Jones (Jim Jones Mama), and Momma Dee (Lil Scrappy's crazy mom). I want to see all the women chasing after men that don't deserve them. We all do it, but we won't all admit to chasing after some undeserving men. However, the women on television are quick to admit it for money purposes. What makes ratchet reality most special is it won't just stay on television. Once it's out there it is everywhere for everyone to know. It seeps into the online world and eventually gets discussed in the workplace or out with friends.

I love ratchet reality. It's real reality that you just can't get on an every day basis.