e choice but towatch this humiliating form of entertainment. Turn the television on in theafternoon and you will find a large variety of talk shows to choose from. “Maybe wehave become a nation addicted to hearing our neighbors’ seamy personal problems”(You40). Personally, I feel it is both the lack of choice and the attraction to otherpeoples problems. Many of the topics on talk shows are degrading to our society.
If person came toAmerica for the first time and watched television, they would probably see a talkshow. The model a talk show would give of American society is horrifying. Forexample, a common talk show topic is teens having multiple sex partners at youngages. However, not all teens are sexually active at such a young age. For thisreason talk shows are misleading not only to foreigners but to children and youngadults who are learning about morals and our society.
In a letter to the corporateCEO’s distributing these programs, William Bennett and Senator Joseph Lieberman asked:”Would you want your young children to view a program showcasing the sexual adventuresof a 14-year-old girl who married her 71-year-old foster father”(Flint and Wharton). To those who do not tune into these shows this discription may sound like anexaggeration; however, it is not. This is exactly the type of topics on some shows. Not only are half the shows ridiculous with topics of deceit, revenge and “extremebehavior”, but some of them are false(Flint and Wharton). On the Jerry Springer Showa Canadian comedy troupe went on the show and created a story.
The story was thatone of the men had an affair with his baby-sitter. After the show appeared ontelevision, the troupe members went to the press saying how they deceived the programand its audience(You 52). Some people will do anything to be on television. Someshows trick people into situations. The Jenny Jones show has had several episodeentitled “Secret Crush”.
In these episode secret admirers are revealed to her guests. In some cases her guests are displeased with their secret admirer. I can remember one episode that I watched. A woman was surprised by a man who had a secret crush onher.
She was very disturbed when she realized who he was. She proceeded to tellJenny that this man was insane and was pursuing her. This could have been avoidedif the woman was told who the secret admirer was before the show. However, if thiswas done the show would not be as interesting.
In another incident, one of Jenny’sguests confronted a secert crush, and it led to tragedy. Amedure, a male guest had acrush on Johnathan Schmitz, another male. Amedure surprised Schmitz with hisfeelings on the show; however, Schmitz was expecting a woman, from the impression hewas given by the shows producers. Schmitz said he was publicly embarrassed whenAmedure revealed on national television that he had a “gay crush” on him. After theshow Jonathan Schmitz was charged with the murder of Amedure.
Schmitz shot Amedureand killed him(You 52). In some shows the guests are not informed of the topic, and they end up beingembarrassed by a ridiculous topic. This is wrong because these people with their lovedones or friends sometimes involved are mislead and sometimes humiliated on nationaltelevision by the producers. Even though the guests agree to appear on the showsbecause they wanted to, some regret it after the show (You 40). Therefore, we can notpose the guests as helpless victims because they are adults. Also, if they have seen atalk show before they went on one, they would know what they were getting themselvesinto.
In my opinion there are just too many talk shows. According to Larry Pollockthere are 32 talk shows on television right now(Flint and Wharton). There are a fewtalk shows that are conscientious and have very interesting and educational topics. For example Oprah Winfrey and Maury Povich are two shows that have many rewardingtopics such as family reunions.
They also have educational topics on child and spousalabuse. These shows are good because they expose us to different things that are goingon in the world, things that we can change. The best thing to do is to shift throughall the talk shows and get rid of the garbage. In the nineteen eighties, soap operasand game shows ruled day-time television.
If we can find something entertaining toreplace talk shows, we can make them a fad of the past(Schiff 10).??
