I used to like the "reality" program "Little People, Big World," until the father was picked up a second time for suspected drunken driving. He was not convicted, as I recall, but it bothered me that he didn't appreciate the gravity of the offense the first time. I haven't watched the show since.

Happily, I've not wasted my time on other "reality" programs, particularly those of the bachelor/bachelorette variety or worse, "America's Top Model."

What does it say about our culture, though, that so many of these programs are commercial and ratings successes? Many of these programs are relatively inexpensive to produce, which explains why there are so many of them. But do we yet understand the personal toll they exact when the cameras go away? Do we even care?

Is it sort of like being a child star? You get lots of attention when you're least equipped to handle it and then, poof, it's over. You're yesterday's news, or worse, a laughingstock.

All of which makes me wonder how Octomom Nadya Suleman will fare once the cameras roll on the new reality television series featuring her and her 14 children. Then again, I can't bear to watch.

Marjorie Cortez, whose reality show would include gripping footage of sitting at a computer terminal, driving a car, grocery shopping, dishwashing, laundry folding and texting her children, is a Deseret News editorial writer. E-mail her at marjorie@desnews.com