Unlike what feels like the entire Australian population, I am not excited about the X factor. Or Australia's Got Talent. Because while everyone sits at home and laughs at the teenager who is "singing" his lungs out (I put singing in quotation marks because 90% of the time it sounds like a family of cats drowing) I feel horrible. Because yes it is mildly amusing for those of us sitting at home. But those people have to go back to work or school the next day knowing that everyone at work watched them completely bomb out last night.
Awkward.
It's even worse when they go out there with this false sense of confidence, parading around the stage because they think, no they KNOW, they are the shit. The bee's knees. Numero uno, cream of the crop. The judges are going to cry, give me a standing ovation and the crowd will immediately make a Facebook group about me. I'm going to be a STAR!
And then the judges completely shut them down, normally because they deserve it as they have just insulted our ears, and they stand there stunned because all these years they thought they were a great singer.
And that's where the problem is for me. At some point in this kids life they asked their parents "Mum, dad, am I a good singer?" And mum and dad glanced momentarily at each other and then said "of course you are honey!" Because where was the harm right? It's not like the kid was ever going to pursue a career as the next Britney. No point in crushing her confidence now while she's young an impressionable. Let her sing, it's not like she'll audition for some nationally televised talent program where she'll embarrass herself and be completely crushed.
WRONG, MUM AND DAD!
Now you have to pick up the pieces as your child is gutted by the humiliation. Well done folks, maybe you should have gently told her to stick to netball, or mime.
