Is the world so desperate?

I have a secret passion for the show "Desperate Housewives." Yes, it looks raunchy and silly and slutty. I thought the same thing, but I started watching and I got hooked. You may think it is a "chick show" or just a sleazy soap opera but I will vouch that it is probably one of the best television shows out there.\nNow you know my darkest secret. What else can I admit?\nI love large amounts of ice cream. I love watching "The Real World." I love my Harry Potter collection. I love McDonald's. I love watching "Sex and the City." What I love and have listed are what we can call my guilty pleasures. Now was that so hard? No, but as I write this I definitely won't feel the impact of seeing it in a newspaper quite yet.\nWe have something in our lives called guilty pleasures. We like them, we live with them, we love them. They are what get us through the week and they are what secretly make us happy. We all have those shows that we watch and as soon as someone comes into the room, we change the channel and pretend like we were surfing. I think "Sex and the City" is one of the funniest shows out there but my roommates would probably make fun of me if they found out ... well, they will now that they know.\nBut you see, guilty pleasures exist in our lives for a reason. They are the little ways we divulge in what are not considered the mainstream norm. Why do we have them and why must we hide them? Are we that convinced that people will not like us for liking something? Yes, I listened to N'Sync in middle school. It was my guilty pleasure. Who is going to like me any less now? Will someone come back through a time machine and make me feel less popular about my time in the seventh grade?\nBasically, the point is that you can't judge a book by its cover or a television show by its commercial. There is a key word in that sentence you just read and it was the word "judge." We do it too often. We can't go on without it. Judging is what makes us conform to what society feels is right. Well, society should judge itself and realize that in this free country, it probably needs to be hit upside the head with a shovel. We should be able to like what we want and not expect any backlash.\nSo, if you like something, that's awesome. I applaud you and I think we all need to be unique. I will go on eating my McDonald's that is frowned upon by any physician, and I will continue to watch "Desperate Housewives" and "Sex and the City" that are frowned upon by any male. I will continue to read Harry Potter that is frowned upon by any Christian and I will do all of this because I can, and because I like to.\nDo what you like and enjoy what you like. We are on this rock for 80-some years before we die. Please, just make sure your guilty pleasures do not involve animal torture or killing younglings ... and remember, there will be a "Desperate Housewives" party at my house at a date to be determined.