In a moment of weakness, one is guilty of turning on the television to a channel everyone loves to hate: TLC. Whether it is to indulge a sweet tooth with “Next Great Baker” or fantasize about wedded bliss with “Say Yes to the Dress,” TLC has become an outlet of relaxation when studying becomes too tiresome. After a long exam, cuddling up with a pillow and “What Not to Wear” is always the best option.

However, TLC was originally conceived as “The Learning Channel.” With such academic characters as the man infatuated with his car or the woman obsessed with her breasts, both seen on “My Strange Addiction,” it is easy to see that there is not much learning going on these days. The most recognizable vanguards of knowledge that call TLC home are Honey Boo Boo and company. In between fights about beauty pageant happenings or rants about cheese balls, the Thompson clan features nearly every facet of life. However, these features are rarely clear. The show has gained much publicity for having to use subtitles to translate the English spoken by the Thompson’s to English that viewers can actually understand.

Honey Boo Boo first gained fame as a pushy toddler with an insatiably charismatic family on TLC’s “Toddlers and Tiaras.” In a disturbing trend, this show has inspired many others with a similar theme: perfection. Some of these spin-offs have stayed on TLC like “Cheer Perfection,” but others, such as “Dance Moms,” have branched out to other networks. On any given episode of any of these shows one can find a five-year-old crying about not being good enough, not having enough trophies or not impressing mommy.

A common response to criticism of TLC is “But it is just entertainment, why does it matter?” It may not be apparent with “Toddlers and Tiaras,” but TLC does occasionally try to teach audiences. Considering shows like “Sister Wives,” “Breaking Amish” and “My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding,” TLC has taken on the responsibility of elucidating cultures different than those of most viewers. However, TLC packages samples of these cultures into gaudy, hour-long programs that could never accurately depict an entire way of life.

Viewers who tune in become exposed to one snapshot of a culture that in reality is much more diverse and rich than any camera crew could ever capture. It is easy to generalize the entire American Roma culture by five-second sound bites provided skillfully by the editors of “My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding.” Same is true of the polygamist lifestyle portrayed on “Sister Wives.”

While still a guilty pleasure for many, TLC has eroded past the point of no return. Like every hoarder on TLC’s “Hoarding: Buried Alive,” the network has buried itself under a facade of meaningless drama and superficial attitudes. Stay tuned though, maybe Honey Boo Boo will be the leader of the free world someday. Stranger things have happened.