The Real Men of Howe Street

Real Housewives of Vancouver | BCBusiness
The Real Housewives of Vancouver is just meant to grab your attention, like a lot of marketing material out there, says Tony Wanless.

The Real Housewives of Vancouver launched last week and immediately generated a firestorm of anger. Relax, it’s just business.

Well, I didn’t watch The Real Housewives of Vancouver the other night. But, I gather that it is real absurd. And ridiculous, disgusting, entertaining and any other adjective you’d like to add. Mostly, however, it’s provocative.

It’s a “reality” show. This means selected pieces – or, reality – are stitched together to create an overall story.

Real Housewives, apparently, is the story of a bunch of botoxed, buffed and blonde women who love money and will do almost anything to get it (that includes marrying up). They love to flaunt their money and, even more, to spend it. Somewhere in there, I hear, are lots of references to sex that is somehow connected to money.

This sounds to me a lot like the story of The Real Men of Howe Street – some of whom may be husbands to The Real Housewives of Vancouver.

I know every time I venture to the Howe Street-Burrard Street area, the restaurant bars are full of men who claim to love money, and are just as ruthless and cunning about it as the women. They also make a lot of references to sex that is somehow connected to money.  

Seems to me that both of these groups, the real housewives and the real men, are in the business of making big money. The big difference between them is in how they make it.

Another difference is that oceans of words aren’t written about the real men – at least not since the days when the newspaper gossip columns were filled with the hijinks of the high rollers of Howe Street. (I’m talking about you, Murray Pezim). Those days are long gone.

But there sure is a lot being written about the real housewives. Most of it is by women, and most of it is angry and offended.

Judging by the cries of outrage, many women don’t like the way The Real Housewives represents real women in Vancouver. No surprise there.

But, as we said earlier, it’s a “reality” television show, folks. Emphasis on the quotation marks. Reality television most often means distorted reality television.

The television industry is meant to entertain, which means you tell a story by editing out everything but the juicy scenes that support your premise. In this case, the premise is that these women are shallow, vapid gold diggers. Whether it’s real or not is beside the point.  

Similarly, there will always be the story of The Real Men of Howe Street who are shallow, vapid and gold digging.

But most of it is a chimera, a construct, a tale that’s meant to grab your attention. Just like a lot of marketing material.