Why “The Bachelorette” is such a bad idea

It seems I could comment on celebrity news every morning.

For instance, Patrick Stewart “stunned” fans with his weekend announcement that he will play Captain Jean-Luc Picard in a new Star Trek series. Russia has named US actor Steven Seagal its special representative for Russian-US humanitarian ties.

And two elderly men in Germany escaped their nursing home to attend a heavy metal rock concert. They were eventually discovered and escorted from the festival.

We might think tonight’s Bachelorette live finale fits into the same category–amusing but less than relevant to real life. Here’s why we’d be wrong.

Contestant shamed for his virginity

The Bachelorette has been on television for fifteen years. You probably know the premise: A woman is presented with a group of men who want to marry her. Various dates and activities narrow the group down to a final three contestants.

She then spends time in the “Fantasy Suite” with each of them, no cameras allowed. She usually has sex with each of the three men. (I will not link to articles explaining this fact since they are explicit.)

The “Bachelorette” then narrows the group to the final two and chooses the winner in the finale.

So much is wrong with this show. The idea that people could choose their life partner on the basis of contrived events in front of cameras is implausible in the extreme. (The Bachelor, which began in 2002, has produced only one couple that is still together. Only six couples from The Bachelorette are still together.)

The sexual message is especially troubling. The show teaches our children that having sex with someone before marrying them is both normal and wise. After all, our culture asks, how can you know if you’re “compatible”?

Sex before marriage is so endorsed by Hollywood that one of this season’s Bachelorette contestants was shamed for his virginity. Colton Underwood, a former football player who spent time with several NFL teams, was ridiculed by…