Do talk shows reflect today’s society? Lets hope not! All too often in today’s talk show scene, someone is looking for a baby’s daddy, lesbian lovers discover that they are cousins, or a much too well endowed woman is flaunting her God given goods in skimpy lingerie.
| Gone are the days of quality talk shows in which topics, both entertaining and informative, were discussed. |
The hosts of these talk shows, such as Jerry Springer and Jenny Jones, become referees more then anything else. In the meantime, audiences are enthralled with this display, which can only be described as a freak show.
This is not always the case, however. “The Oprah Winfrey Show” has become more of a therapy session than a talk show, with segments featuring Dr. Phil “tell it like it is” McGraw bossing people around like no one’s business.
Rosie O’Donnell’s show seemed to be a welcome diversion from the smut of daytime talk shows and the psycho-babble of self-help gurus, with her celebrity guests, musical numbers and entertaining anecdotes. But recently, her show has become a soapbox for her to spout her opinions on various issues. Entertaining? Not especially.
Gone are the days of quality talk shows in which topics, both entertaining and informative, were discussed. American icons like Ed Sullivan and Johnny Carson entered our living rooms providing us with our fix of celebrity guests, musical entertainment and the occasional good chuckle. Their shows had dignity. There wasn’t any bitch slapping or swearing. No one felt uneasy allowing their children to watch these shows.
Today, daytime talk shows are no better than WWF’s “Monday Night Raw.”
We have all been caught, at one time or another, jaw dropped and unable to change the channel when watching shows like “The Ricki Lake Show,” in which makeovers turn people from a skanky ho to Marilyn Monroe. Watching these shows is like going to the circus and checking out the Bearded Lady or the man with the foot-long fingernails. It’s sick, and we know it. Yet we watch anyway.
What is America’s obsession with trashy TV? If we watch, does that make us just as scummy as the guests on these shows? Or, is it just a window into other people’s lives that are so different from our own that we can not help but look?
TV will get worse before it gets better. The shock factor will get more and more severe as networks and individual shows compete with each other. And America will watch, because we wouldn’t have it any other way.
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