Another reason to hate MTV.

[The_Penguin]

Dear Producers of MTV’s “My Super Sweet 16”,

My name is Stan Michelson and I’m writing to you on behalf of my soon to be 16-year-old daughter Stacie. See, Stacie absolutely loves your program. The thing is I really think you guys are getting up the hopes of a lot of young girls.

Stacie turns 16 in 4 months and is already hinting at an exclusive party in the heart of Beverly Hills. We live in a small town called Socrates in upstate New York. You can begin to see the problem I’m having? Right now I’m working three jobs just to save up enough money for her to go to college, but I think Stacie would rather blow her entire college fund on one huge party. Or as she so eloquently put it “one night of awesomeness is worth more than 4 years at any college”. She’s been talking about it ever since that wretched show aired.

Stacie keeps dropping hints about how much she “loves Hillary Duff” and how awesome it’d be if “Hil just dropped by and said ‘hi’ on her 16th”. I did some research on Google as it turns out; to get Hillary Duff to play one song would cost $5,000. That’s two months salary for me. She’d make it in like 2 minutes. Life really isn’t fair.

I work the 3 jobs, two fulltime and one graveyard shift for time and a half and we can just barely get by. Stacie’s mom ran out when she was 11, it was very difficult for her to cope with the loss of her mother, so I try and do everything in my power to make up for mother’s inability to be a responsible parental figure. The last thing I needed in my already dreadful and uneventful life was my daughter to have delusions of grandeur for her 16th. I was thinking a small get together at Applebees with just close family. Maybe two or three of her friends. I even cut out a coupon from the newspaper the other day, one free appetizer. Boneless Buffalo Wings, Nacho Nuevos or Potato Skins. I was going to let Stacie pick, since it’d be her birthday party and all.

Stacie started leaving torn out magazine pages around the house, circling the red convertibles in marker. I drive a used Honda that I bought from my brother-in-law 10 years ago. It’s got 125,000 miles on it. Are you beginning to realize how you’re ruining my life MTV?

What I’m really trying to say is, I fucking hate you guys. You’re seriously destroying my life and my little princess. I don’t know what I’m going to do for her 16th birthday now. Applebees probably won’t cut it anymore. Maybe Chili's or TGIFriday? I don't know. What I do know is my little Stacie and I used to go Applebees EVERY birthday. She used to love the chicken quesadilla grande. Just like she used to love me.

Thanks again. I really fucking hate you guys,
Stan Michelson

http://www.collegehumor.com/article:1736873

:(

[AssButt.]

Awesome.

[The_Penguin]

Awesome.
*sigh* I figured atleast one person would say that.

[Chris]

While I don't think MTV or no MTV would be that much of a difference (in seems the problem more or less lies with his daughter, or its just her age) I can fully agree with his sentiments.

[The_Penguin]

While I don't think MTV or no MTV would be that much of a difference (in seems the problem more or less lies with his daughter, or its just her age) I can fully agree with his sentiments.
Ok, now there's a statement where I won't roll my eyes after reading it.

[雨]

It seemed half like a joke when I first read it. I mean, what kind of girl, given her situation in life, has these absurd delusions? Whatever the case, I hate that fucking show.

[The_Penguin]

It seemed half like a joke when I first read it. I mean, what kind of girl, given her situation in life, has these absurd delusions? Whatever the case, I hate that fucking show.
Do you remember being 16 :-/ ?

[Kfisher]

Teenybopper behavior at its worst, yes?

[Myrsilus]

I don't know about Amani, but I remember being a 16-year old girl. Never got my bangin' party, though. :(

[雨]

Well, I'm a special case. The only b-day of mine that was celebrated was my 18th one, last year. A (complete) surprise party, bbq and cake and everything. Lots of friends and relatives and alcohol. I also got a DS. xD That was a good day. Back when I was 16, I didn't expect much at all though. Perhaps it's an "American" fad to be obsessed with ageing 16 and getting a car.

[Roxie]

Man. I agree with him. Perhaps he could use a little more creativity in his plans? To make it more memorable for her despite her insanity? But I wonder if that would even be good enough. Yikes!

But seriously, how delusional can you be?

[Lea]

Why would she think it's possible for her to have any of those things? What a weird girl...

I didn't do anything for my 16th besides go out to eat with my parents. :|

[Jetsetlemming]

MTV isn't her problem. A complete lack of understanding of money and cost is, and that's a lack that stems from her DAD, not MTV. He needs to teach her some finance. I know I've been hearing about money and our complete lack of it since I was 6. -_-

[Roxie]

For my 16th, I had a small-party/get together with like 6 friends at my house. Still had a great time, even though I didn't get a car (shock!)

[Hatsumomo]

That's when you beat that kid around the house and tell her that if she wants such a party so badly, then she had better get a job and start saving up, vite vite.

[Roxie]

What!?!?!? No dulce vita!?

[h2orowe]

Lawl, you know what my mom's birthday present to me was? A birthday dinner (which kicked ass) then me asking her to take me to Barnes and Noble, but I had to pay $10 in gas.


However, she IS going to give me $80 or $90 once she gets her next check. Even though $50 of it or so is just from what she owes me. Considering I don't have a job and I get $10 a week allowance from my grandfather.. it's kind of a sad situation.

I haven't had a party in a while. Not a real one anyways. When I was turning 14 we went to the Nickel Nickel arcade. Every game cost 20c or less, most were only a nickel! 3 dollars there lasted a long time! Plus there's free games in the back! DDR actually cost 25c iirc.


Anyway, teenage girls are retarded. Teenagers in general are retarded. Including myself. No one's exempt. Not even the literally retarded teenagers.

[Decade]

Hilary Duff is only $5000 for a song?

If anything, thats the thing that surprised me the most. Dont most famous celebrities charge at least double that to at least make an appearance? And those are usually non-hot ones at the time.

Oh, and yea, thats a spoiled ass brat if it's true. And I'm trying to figure out how thats possible if her dad is working 3 jobs and barely getting by :confused:

Anyway, teenage girls are retarded. Teenagers in general are retarded. Including myself. No one's exempt. Not even the literally retarded teenagers.
There's definitely not enough short buses out there

[Soli]

I agree that the MTV Sweet 16 show is giving a lot of girls hopes that they'll get something big like that. >.<

When my sister turned 16, my mom and dad hired a limo to pick up her friends and take them to a resturant. It was something big for her 16th and all, but not like what was on T.V. My sister and her friends talked about it for awhile.

My 16th is coming up, and I'm scared I'm going to get something big like that. :box:

[Roxie]

why're you scared?

[Soli]

^ I get really emotional when my parents spend a lot of money on me. I want them to spend it on better things like food or something. XD And I'd be totally embarrassed if a limo came to pick me up.

[Lateli]

Ah, I remember my 16th Bday... My at the time bf, took me to Disneyland and Denver.

And, my parents got divorced!

>_>

My 20th is coming up, I wonder if my bf is gonna take me to Applebees! Omg! (Actually I kinda want Chicken-fettuccine Alfredo, ooh! Maybe Olive Garden then.. mmm food...) ((I'm actually not expecting any of that, but it would be interesting!))

You're not alone on that money spending thing Soli, I freak out too. Or at least I would if it happened.

[stsparky]

My 16th birthday - some 33 years ago - sucked.

My well meaning mom invited people she thought were my friends to the house for a swim and cake.

One ass walked in on my supposed girlfriend and made rude comments. Three days later he mentioned it again and I broke his thigh bone with a roundhouse kick that would have made Chuck Norris proud, but the day sucked.

[雨]

I broke his thigh boneFucking ow (http://amani-was-taken.livejournal.com/1512.html).

[stsparky]

Fucking ow (http://amani-was-taken.livejournal.com/1512.html).
I was not as tolerant as now.

As it went down, I remember fireman carrying the daft idiot to Emergency and then us telling his mom he fell from a tree. We were comic dealers together from 14 to 17. He was lucky.

[The_Penguin]

MTV isn't her problem. A complete lack of understanding of money and cost is, and that's a lack that stems from her DAD, not MTV. He needs to teach her some finance. I know I've been hearing about money and our complete lack of it since I was 6. -_-
That's a very sensible and correct statement.

However, my dislike of MTV overrides that.

[japanat]

Ah, I remember my 16th Bday... My at the time bf, took me to Disneyland and Denver.

And, my parents got divorced!My parents would have gotten new shotguns loaded with salt, if my sister's bf took her to Disneyland and Denver for her 16th birthday, and we lived an hour from Denver! How'd they let their 16-yr-old daughter take an interstate (presumably overnight) trip?

I ain't that hip. No overnight boy trips for my daughter until she's 18. Up until that age, she's just gonna have to lie to me like all other teenagers.

[Roxie]

lol

[MeneerDijk]

I can't really remember my 16th Birthday, probably had some friends and family over, and i think i had some money wich i used to pay for a second hand moped.

I highly doubt if the letter is real. If it were it would bring up a couple of issues with me:

The daughter has a very bad grasp on reality. Even though i watch the sweet 16 show with disgust, it's just another show where you get to watch people with different lifestyles and judge spoiled little girls throwing fits over the brand of luxury cars they are getting. If you rely on Mtv for setting cultural norm, you might be better of selling your tv.

[kilreli]

MTV isn't her problem. A complete lack of understanding of money and cost is, and that's a lack that stems from her DAD, not MTV. He needs to teach her some finance. yeah but MTV is teaching her the complete opposite, and showing her how great beign a rich brat is. if her dad is working his butt off, i dont know how much time he would have to get it through to her. anyways, i still think thats one of the most retarded shows coming from one of the most retarded channels.

on another note, did anyone hear about something mtv said like, "we own your kids" or something? My mom mentioned something like that to me.

I know I've been hearing about money and our complete lack of it since I was 6. -_-
:rofl: you and me both

and i think me 16th b-day was me having two friends sleep over. im not into the whole big celebration

[Kaji]

It sounds to me like some elaborate plot to have MTV show up to spite the letter, what with all the excruciating detail.

Either way, if it's really that bad father needs to explain a few things to daughter.

Either way, I wouldn't shed any tears if MTV were to suddenly get shut down.

[erbiumfiber]

My parents would have gotten new shotguns loaded with salt, if my sister's bf took her to Disneyland and Denver for her 16th birthday, and we lived an hour from Denver! How'd they let their 16-yr-old daughter take an interstate (presumably overnight) trip?

I ain't that hip. No overnight boy trips for my daughter until she's 18. Up until that age, she's just gonna have to lie to me like all other teenagers.

Ha! My daughter just spent two years on a giant overnight boy trip at a VERY liberal co-ed boarding school. It doubles as a summer camp in the summer and there are a ton of vacant cabins in the winter where the teenagers go at it like rabbits. Not to mention the creative writing house with huge sofas and a roaring fire in the winter...and a ton of music practice rooms (it's mainly a music school).

I made a bigger deal of her 18th birthday. At her yuppie international school in Tokyo there were some big sweet 16 parties (she got invited to one for a Korean girl) but, mercifully, it is the rare Japanese teenager who gets a car for her 16th birthday. Between living in Japan and boarding school, she still doesn't know how to drive at 18 :gloomy: .

[Lateli]

My parents would have gotten new shotguns loaded with salt, if my sister's bf took her to Disneyland and Denver for her 16th birthday, and we lived an hour from Denver! How'd they let their 16-yr-old daughter take an interstate (presumably overnight) trip?

I ain't that hip. No overnight boy trips for my daughter until she's 18. Up until that age, she's just gonna have to lie to me like all other teenagers.


It was a nice big family trip, well, just him, his mother, and his sister. I think the fact that he payed for most of it really helped convince my mother. I guess I'm easy to get rid of, so long as my family doesn't have to pay :P

(No road trips, he flew from Denver to here, and we flew back to Denver. From there we flew to Cali and back, and then from Denver to here again. Whole trip was probably two weeks.)

[ParryDat]

I feel very bad for the guy.One of the hardest/stressful thing's imaginable is having to work more than one job.One job can be stressful enough.

I think it's time for this guy to lay down on that ass though.She needs to realize the situation,and if she won't accept having a little get together at an Applebees or TGI Fridays,then fuck her.Get her ass a cupcake with a candle...

Oh and on the subject of My Super Sweet 16.Fuck that show.I swear to god there is a video on the internet right now,with one of those rich brats crying because she didn't receive the car that she wanted on her birthday,but like a day or two before,and she ACTUALLY had the audacity to show up and even curse at her own mother.No matter how angry I am at my parents,I would never even dare curse them out or try to show them up.

It's a very tasteless show IMO.We see enough spoiled rich people as it is,but now we have to deal with spoiled rich children?


GTFOOHWTS

[mawande]

Actually, I don't feel very hard for the guy. The letter actually reads like something someone made up rather than like someone who really feels that way. A real girl whose father is in that position would have to be heavily sheltered to not know he can't afford any of these things. And he's clearly not home enough to shelter her in that way.

[Roland]

He should spend the saved money for college on her party and then tell her to GTF out and find a job to earn money for college.
THAT will teach her!

[Jay]

I heart MTV. It's piss funny. :rofl:

[ミュー]

I bought my first car at 15, a big fucking green Cadillac that's still stored in the States. I grew up dealing... pottery so I spent my sweet 16 probably stone... cold asleep :innocent:

[Scarabomb]

My "sweet 16" was spent probably spent a few ways.

Either it was spent at school (because my birthday always rolled around on the first day of school) and then probably spent at work.

Did I get a big party and a cake and all this bullshit and a new car? Fuck no. What I got (which I got when I was 14) was a nice banged up 92' Nissan Sentra and a good educational institution for my times. As a matter of fact, I haven't even had a "party" since I was maybe 7 or 8. All the rest of them were a small get together with friends or spent....ON MY FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL. Well, my 19th Birthday was spent in the damn desert and I didn't get a celebration. Just a day off.

Basically what I'm saying is, if the father is really that financially unstable and is looking more forward to setting his daughter's future. Forget her "sweet 16" and go to TGIF for some hotwings or something. If she's gonna be all mopey that "Hil" couldn't come to her "Sweet 16" then buy her a Hillary Duff CD or something. She doesn't need a big gathering or super cool party with all these strange people coming down and having a big ole time that throws her dad's whole savings out the window for her enjoyment of 1 night. That's just self-ish honestly and she should take consideration for her father whether she likes it or not. I would force the situation by just telling her "Well, I'm outta money but what I can do for you is take your out for a nice dinner at *said restuarant*".

P.S. If this is fake then this is just pure opinion relating to the topic

[Kyletherealninja]

I don't really remember what I did for my sixteenth birthday. I didn't get a car until last year (when I was eighteen), and I didn't get my driver's license before I was seventeen - in other words, there was absolutely no driving involved on the sixteenth birthday. I had no big party or anything. It was no different from any other birthday I'd ever had. And you know what? I was perfectly content.

I own a '96 Honda Civic - nothing fancy, but it gets me around, the AC and music work fine, and it gets good gas mileage. That's all I need. I have no desire to buy another car, either. I think the underlying problem is that this show is representative of popular culture at large - it creates demands and "needs" that didn't exist before the viewer was exposed to them. When I'm a parent someday, I will invest considerable effort into helping my children see through this ploy and hopefully develop an immunity. The most we can do about it is identify the problem and do our best to help others understand, but some people are just plain stupid, so it can be challenging.

[Hatsumomo]

I didn't have a car to my name until May of this year, and I'm 21. It's a 1991 Toyota Camry with a moldy-ass trunk (due to an unfortunate soda explosion and my sister's neglect) and a cracked windshield (due to a semi kicking up rocks). I haven't had a birthday party since I was 11. Hell, even my 21st b-day wasn't some huge blowout. I went to a Japanese restaurant in downtown Wilmington with some friends and the next night, my roommates gave me a cake and bought dinner.

I don't get this need to have massive parties. The same goes for weddings.

[Roxie]

shoot, I didn't get my license or my car till I was 22.

[Micah the Great]

^wait.. wha?

Yea.. that show is hilarious. In all seriousness.. i'd be good for those girls to get kidnapped or something... or have their car break down in the hood and get stuck for a week.. WTF.. On one episode.. some chick was complaining that she had a $150k limit from her dad in a jewelry store and reaaaally needed something $200k. Choke and die bitch.

[D-pad]

For my 16th I sat around with my family and ate hot wings...

My dad got me a 1990 corolla when I was almost 16, and I got my permit like in may...

[Micah the Great]

^Fuck yeah hotwings... (and) fuck yeah Corolla

[rl*united]

It seemed half like a joke when I first read it. I mean, what kind of girl, given her situation in life, has these absurd delusions? Whatever the case, I hate that fucking show.

Keep in mind that her father might have tried to spare a part of the shit from her given how she`s in enough pain haveing lost her mother at eleven. He should just talk to her treat her like the grown-up she wants to be. She won`t stay an ignorant kid for the rest of her life. It`s just a tough realisation she needs to go through to get on with living and hopefully have a succesfull career in something...

For my 16th I sat around with my family and ate hot wings...

My dad got me a 1990 corolla when I was almost 16, and I got my permit like in may...

I can`t remember my 16th birthday realy - we have a favourite chinese restaurant we like to go on occasions like this. Each year it`s chinese so memmories tend to blend in :D. I don`t realy remember my birthday present. I think it was a PC game or something.

[Citizen]

^wait.. wha?

Yea.. that show is hilarious. In all seriousness.. i'd be good for those girls to get kidnapped or something... or have their car break down in the hood and get stuck for a week.. WTF.. On one episode.. some chick was complaining that she had a $150k limit from her dad in a jewelry store and reaaaally needed something $200k. Choke and die bitch.

I can totally relate to that. My limit this year was $30k. No, wait, it was $30. Anyway, I wanted something that was about $40. Except I didn't bitch about it. I also got no cake and had to pay for my own birthday dinner.

Actually, I guess I can't relate to that at all. And yet, I still managed to be happy on my birthday.

[Scarabomb]

^ I hate how the show portrays a delusion of "We're all rockstars in life so we have to live like rockstars". Like you, I'm perfectly happy with the simplicity of just knowing that I'm growing up, living each day, being able to wake up in the morning and having the ability to work all of my bodily functions (running, exercise, healthyness),

I think things like that are so much more important then the vanity of life that the media tries to portray. Think of the people in other nations who have to live in poor living conditions? Honestly, I couldn't be happier living the simple way I live with the luxuries of what I have now.

[Dead Sexy Vocab]

For my 16th, I just invited my relatives over and watched Conan O'Brien. :rolleyes:

"Fagerstrom, I'm waiting..!"

[ellie]

I had a "super sweet 16 birthday party". I had taken driver's ed late, so I wasn't eligible for my license yet (and when I WAS eligible, I didn't get my own car for 3 more months). My party was really fun, it was in my house with an 80's theme, a lot of kids came, we had a cool cake and I really enjoyed it. My parents did not spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on the party. There was some sum of money spent on it I'm sure, but nothing too outrageous. The point of funness was that I got to play with my friends and eat cake and dress like it was 1985: That was the fun. It wouldn't have mattered how much my parents spent on the party.

That girl sounds like she lives in a fantasy world. I think her father MUST have contributed at least partially to this mindset she is in! Why does she believe she could get a party like that? Is her father constantly spending money on her, buying ridiculous items? If he's working 3 jobs and "barely getting by", then I'd assume he is wasting money SOMEWHERE, so maybe it's on his self-centered and stupid daughter.

[Beowulf]

I had to work on my 16th birthday. At the party we had cake and went to the movies with my family (I forget what we saw). The whole thing probably cost 40 bucks...

[Excel-2008]

I once asked an acquaintance in Finland what he hates most about American teenagers. Guess what he answered.

[Roxie]

Their warm summer beaches?

[Excel-2008]

Children get far too much self-esteem injected into their already muddied minds for their own good. It leads them to do things that give satire writers like myself perpetual business.

[Hatsumomo]

^You mean where some school districts abolished the honor roll because it made the kids who didn't make the honor roll feel bad (despite the fact that they either didn't put in the effort or are just stupid)?

Or where other school districts forbade teachers to use red ink or write any kind of criticism, constructive or otherwise, because kids' self-esteem was at risk?

Or where instead of awarding trophies to the team that wins, it's everybody who gets a trophy because OMGEVERYBODYWINS? Or they abolish scoring completely?



*Yes, I have seen reports of this shit actually happening. Makes me glad I grew up when I did. Kind of hard to have motivation to do better when they're eliminating competition completely because ickle-Bobby-kins might get his feelings hurt.

[Black fist]

All 3 of those shit are horrible and I'm glad my school district are asshole when it comes down to critique people and the award thing especially football. This district is mean as a bitch when it comes down to football if you don't win you are loser and should made fun of until death.

[Excel-2008]

^You mean where some school districts abolished the honor roll because it made the kids who didn't make the honor roll feel bad (despite the fact that they either didn't put in the effort or are just stupid)?

Or where other school districts forbade teachers to use red ink or write any kind of criticism, constructive or otherwise, because kids' self-esteem was at risk?

Or where instead of awarding trophies to the team that wins, it's everybody who gets a trophy because OMGEVERYBODYWINS? Or they abolish scoring completely?



*Yes, I have seen reports of this shit actually happening. Makes me glad I grew up when I did. Kind of hard to have motivation to do better when they're eliminating competition completely because ickle-Bobby-kins might get his feelings hurt.
That's along the lines of what I mean, but isn't exactly it. I mean that random untalented kids are given music contracts and are heavily marketed on children's networks, prompting already stupid kids to think that anything they can do can get them famous too. They start singing (the worst of it comes after grade school), trying too hard to be funny, etc. and parents encourage absolutely anything they do be it good or bad (heaven forbid) because the trend these days is to empower children because they can do no wrong. It's gotten to the point where corporal punishment is at hazard because hippie liberal parents believe it serves only to turn children into bullies and sexual predators. What parents of this generation have forgotten is that discipline doesn't make criminals, abuse does. The limits need to be relearned. Me and my cynical friends are going to have a good, hearty laugh when all this new-age parenting and sugarcoating (for lack of a more formal term) goes full circle and destroys an entire generation of culture due to oversaturation.

In summary, some people just should never mate.

[PopCulturePooka]

For my 16th I had around 20/25 friends voer, my parents went out for the night and we all got drunk.

WORD!