La Voz

With a record-breaking 4.4 million viewers on its premier night, cable television network VH1 struck ratings gold with "I Love New York."

The popular new reality dating show is a spin-off of the surprise hit "Flavor of Love," a "Bachelor"-style dating show starring former Public Enemy rapper Flavor Flav.

Tiffany Pollard, christened "New York" by Flavor, was so widely appreciated for her wild antics and loud personality on Flavor's dating show that VH1 producers did the only thing that made sense in this entertainment driven world: give her a show of her own. So now New York is ruling the cable world with her string of 20 men, each desperately vying for her heart in hopes of "true love."

Give me a break.

"I Love New York" is just another example of how far people are willing to stoop for the sake of entertainment.

And audiences are eating it up. The show is a circus of idiotic young males chosen solely for their dumb good looks and their unbridled readiness to say or do anything stupid, which unfortunately has become synonymous with "funny."

The men serve as silly fodder for an audience that laughs at the absurdity of it all.

As for New York herself, the best that can be said for her is that she stands out from the crowd.

With her huge silicone breasts, obnoxiously loud voice and all the countless idiotic things she says, how could she not?

I can understand the novelty appeal of such an unapologetically shallow and scandalous character. It's a bit like the morbid fascination in watching a car wreck. But there are only so many "oh no she/he didn't" moments before it gets old. The fact that it hasn't yet is disturbing. In fact, people seem to praise the show is even more.

With all these reality shows promoting the tagline of "So bad, it's good" to excuse their shamelessly tasteless and ridiculous programs, perhaps we have lost perspective.

New York's escapades with Bonez and T-Weed may make good television. However, in a show where superficiality, ignorance and shallowness are so ingrained in every aspect of the show, I wonder what effect this will have on people who watch.

One thing is for sure: it certainly doesn't make viewers more intelligent.

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