ABC's Extreme Makeover: Home Edition is looking for pain: cancer sufferers, hate crime victims, families with terminal children. The uglier the better. Here's the disturbing summary.
The TV show finds a suffering family and then re-makes their house into a dream home. It's all about feeling good about yourself. It appeals to a broad segment of Americans. By feeling good for the suffering family, people can feel good about themselves. And by feeling good for the suffering families, the viewers quietly reassure themselves that they're good people, regardless of their conduct in real life. It's especially good for a culture that is grappling with a huge amount of guilt over divorce and sexual indiscretions.
