Should we stop Keeping Up With The Kardashians?

Where do you stand? Are you done with the Kardashians or love every moment? Twins Jessie and Clare Stephens can’t agree – so they’ve laid out their arguments for you to consider…

Earlier this week, Nova FM’s Kate, Tim and Marty declared their afternoon radio show a ‘Kardashian-Free Zone’.

The radio personalities decided to ban any discussion of the Kardashians, following reports that the family had invited cameras to film Lamar Odom’s hospitalisation.

So, should we really stop keeping up with the Kardashians?

As with all the important questions of our time, the only way to resolve this issue is in the form of a good ‘ol debate, between two sisters who are NOT afraid to argue against each other. We invite you, dear reader, to be our adjudicator.

Jessie says: We should definitely ban The Kardashians

There came a point a few months ago, late one Friday night, where I had finally had enough:

On this fateful Friday, world news had been summarised into one family.

I could argue that there is a goddam war in Syria, but I won’t. I could argue that there are more than 40 million refugees world wide, but I won’t. My issue isn’t even the coverage of trivial news items, but rather the sheer lack of diversity. There is SO much to know about what is happening in our bizarre, challenging and inspiring world, and somehow we simplify it to one household?

The common counter argument is ‘you can’t deny they are savvy businesswomen’, but guess what person of the Internet, yes I can. They are not savvy businesswomen. Perhaps they have some good advisors, who make lots of money off them by stamping their name on handbags and crap perfume. But the rise of Kim Kardashian can be traced back to the non-consensual (?) release of a sex tape, which sends the message to young women that a sex tape is a valid avenue by which to establish one’s career. The notoriety of the Kardashian name comes from Robert Kardashian defending OJ Simpson who was accused of killing his wife. These are the lessons we are learning from the world’s most famous family.

Amy Schumer said it best recently on Saturday Night Live when she remarked “Is that a great message for little girls? A whole family of women who take the faces they were born with as a light suggestion?” Good POINT Amy.

Kylie Jenner had work done on her face before she was even 18 years old. On top of confirming the idea that a woman’s worth emanates solely from the way she looks (I know more about Kylie’s lips than I do about what she thinks) the Kardashians shamelessly promote vanity and narcissism.

Furthermore, the Kardashians represent opulence, conspicuous consumption, greed and materialism. Their show, whilst documenting ‘family life’ (like when your family goes to Bora Bora with a CAMERA CREW), occurs upon the backdrop of multi million dollar mansions, designer clothes, private jets, ridiculous cars and exotic holiday destinations. There IS a capitalist connection between the millions of people starving in the world, and the Kardashian fortune. Poverty is a byproduct of the Kardashians greed.

Much like the news anchor that walked out of his own show when confronted with another Kardashian story, screaming “I CAN’T TAKE IT! I’M SICK OF THIS FAMILY!”, and Nova’s Kate, Tim and Marty, I have had enough. I think we should take a stand against the media monopoly the Kardashian’s currently have, and use it to discuss stories that actually matter.

Clare says: We should definitely not ban The Kardashians

As an individual who has proudly (oh God I’m so ashamed) watched EVERY EPISODE EVER of Keeping Up With The Kardashians (and Kourtney and Khloe take Miami, Kim and Kourtney take New York…you get the gist), my reaction to Nova’s ‘Kardashian-Free Zone’ went something like this:

…I’m kidding.

My sister has presented quite a compelling case, outlining some serious problems with the whole Kardashian phenomenon. The family rose to fame because of a sex tape, the girls are not positive role models, and they represent some issues with Western culture, like greed, narcissism, and materialism.

Very good argument sis – it’s a shame that it COMPLETELY SUPPORTS MINE.

The fact that you have clearly articulated what is wrong with the Kardashian’s is a strong reason for why we shouldn’t ban discussion of them. We NEED to unpack the cultural phenomenon that is the Kardashian’s, in order to take away some of their power. When Marie Antoinette was spending lavishly while other French people starved, did Kate, Tim and Marty ban discussion of her from the airwaves?

They started the French Revolution, got rid of the monarchy, and now French people are all about equality.

Whether we like it or not, the Kardashian’s are a huge part of popular culture. Kourtney, Khloe, Kim, Kendall and Kylie have tens of millions of followers on multiple social media platforms, have several reality series that are watched all around the world, and dominate the tabloids. They are literally the most well known family on the planet. Regardless of the reason for it, our obsession with them is important, and it’s worthy of critical analysis.

To illustrate my point, I have a shameful confession:

Sometimes I act like the Kardashians. When I answer my phone I seriously put it on speaker. When I realised that this annoyed everyone around me I asked myself why I was doing it, and realised: it’s for the cameras.

 Watching too many episodes of Keeping Up With The Kardashian’s made me put my phone on speaker for NON-EXISTENT CAMERAS. If I picked up this behaviour as an adult, what behaviours or ideas are young girls picking up?

That as a woman, your physical appearance is your currency for success? That North is an acceptable name for a human baby? That a lack of talent will get you EVERYWHERE?

Nova FM were right that when it comes to the Kardashian’s, we need a change. But that change shouldn’t be to stop talking about the Kardashian’s, but rather, to change the way we talk about them.

What do you think? Should talk of the Kardashians be banned?