“It’s precisely because of the public shaming that we indulge again and again in shows with no other real purpose than to humiliate their protagonists.” Why do we watch reality TV? To enjoy the pleasure of their pain. (I’m too narcissistic to enjoy other people’s humiliation. So I focus only on my own.)

+ GQ: How rappers, Real Housewives, and lesser Kardashians get paid just for showing up at the club.