Debt Monkey: Monkey See, Monkey Do!
I love monkeys, me! But a reality tv show with a man-made monkey resulting from payment of debts?! Seems positively primitive to me! But then, I dunno– they say people will do anything for money,– including act like a monkey, tho I seriously hope that Debt Monkey doesn’t consist of several episodes of someone tickling their scalp and armpits and going ‘oooh-oooh-oooh’, ‘ah-ah-ah’. That wouldn’t be much of an advancement on previous reality tv. Although it might make for some thought-provoking conversation over coffee, for those acutely interested in the extent to which the ‘ooooh-ings’ and ‘aaahhh-ings’ are secretly scripted. Reality television, eh? It’s the way of the world. Monkey see, monkey do. It applies to creators of your evening’s entertainment, too. Perhaps, especially.
When I first heard about Debt Monkey, I thought, ‘How charitable!’ Some lucky chump (or chimp) will have all their debts paid off for hospital bills, emergency home repairs, and expenses run up from visiting and caring for ailing relatives. All in exchange for putting their debt-free lives on telly!
But then I wondered if the producers might instead choose some altogether well-off person whose debts consist solely of speeding fines and parking tickets received from not being arsed to rummage around looking for change for the meter, just so they could film an alternative ‘lifestyles of the rich and now famous’! Hmmm. How cynical.
But anyway, yah! I can hardly wait! I reckon the debt monkey will get up to all sorts of interesting mischief, having had all the debts paid, presumably making future income mostly disposable. I expect to see it frittered away on endless home delivery orders of bananas.
Actually, I’m not sure what to expect. If I were the debt monkey, I don’t imagine my entertainment value would increase simply as a result of no longer owing anybody any money. In fact I think life may be more interesting when you do owe money to various people,– what with the avoidance and excuse strategies you have to employ. But I’m getting distracted. Debt Monkey will prove me wrong I’m sure, and we’ll all be surprised at how fascinated we are by the daily antics of a debt-free individual.
On a scale of pygmy marmosets to mandrill monkeys, I’ll bet Debt Monkey will prove to be an intriguing chimpanzee of online viewing. I’d put money on it. But then, I am a bit of a bet monkey, and I love reality tv, me!