Television The Reflection Of Our Society Essay, Research Paper

Television: The reflection of our society.

In the world of entertainment, TV talk shows have undoubtedly flooded every inch of space on daytime television. Many of us have seen and heard the often recycled topics found on such veteran shows as Montel and Sally Jessy Raphael. And anyone who watches talk shows on a regular basis knows that each one varies in style and format. One might enjoy watching the sometimes-trashy subject matter found on Jenny Jones, while someone else might prefer the more serious and lighthearted feel of the Maury Povich show. But no two shows are more profoundly opposite in content, while at the same time standing out above the rest, than the Jerry Springer and the Oprah Winfrey show.

Jerry Springer could easily be considered the king of “trash talk.” The topics on his shows are as shocking as they get. For example, the show takes the ever-common talk show themes of love, lust, sex, sexuality, adultery, cheating, guilt, hate, conflict and morality to quite a different level. In a vintage Springer show, one finds women who cheated on their boyfriends or husbands and are ready to confess. However the boyfriends are in for a bigger surprise. As it turns out, not all the women have been secretly seeing other guys, but rather seeing other women, who by surprise also happen to be waiting backstage. Another episode tells of a lot more twisted story. A male cuts off his own manhood because he claimed that his homosexual neighbor was stalking him. Shocking, indeed, but the list of talk material goes on from dangerous love triangles, broken homes, pregnant strippers, teenage prostitutes, adult film stars, devil worshippers to the ever popular talk show regulars, the members of the Ku Klux Klan. Clearly, the Jerry Springer show is a display and exploitation of societies moral disasters and catastrophes, yet people are willing to eat up the intriguing predicaments of other people s lives. Hard to believe that this is reality and hard to imagine that people would want to watch and listen to such negativity. It is worth mentioning though that Jerry Springer s tremendous success is no less than a reflection on us as a society. As shocking as it might sound it must be true, for we the viewers are responsible for the show s popularity. Strangely, people are always intrigued and drawn by things that are forbidden, unaccepted or morally wrong. On the other hand, the show could serve as the perfect example of improvements that we as a society are in need for.

Oprah Winfrey was once a follower of the trash TV format, but her long running popular TV talk show has since been reformed. Like Jerry Springer, the Oprah Winfrey show takes talk TV to its extreme, but Oprah goes in the opposite direction. Oprah is probably the most immaculate talk show there is. It is unlikely that you will find guest on Oprah that have committed adultery, have sold their souls to the devil, or are part of a racist hate group. Instead, the show focuses on the improvement of society and an individual s quality of life. Topics range from teaching your children responsibility, managing your work week, proper etiquette, getting to know your neighbors, new age spirituality and entertaining interviews with celebrities. Not many talk shows are interested in taking time to teach children right from wrong, or give techniques to get along with people better, but it seems that the Oprah shows top priority is to educate first, and entertain second. She is not only active as a TV show host but she also has a very popular website where she continues on with all the positive messages, and where one can learn valuable tips on how to better one s life, and find information similar to what s presented on the show. On the other hand when visiting Jerry s website, one might find something like this. Today! You ll pay for stilling my lover!

Compared to Oprah, the Jerry Springer show is like toxic waste being dumped on society. Still, there are times when Jerry Springer has made an effort to help the troubled people on his show. Most likely to somewhat ameliorate the extreme harshness of his show. The most notable is when he has helped extremely obese people get to the hospital and help them turn their lives around. The entire process is still taped for its entertainment value, but at least something good came out of it. Jerry also ends every show with a “final word.” He makes a small speech that sums up the entire moral of the show. Hopefully, this is the part where most people will learn something very valuable.

Even if Oprah is as squeaky clean as it is, the show is probably not for everyone. The show s main target audiences are working middle-class Americans. A vast majority of these people usually have the time, money, and stability to deal with life’s tougher problems. Jerry Springer, on the other hand, has more of an association with the young adults of society. These are your 18 -21 year-olds whose main troubles in life involve love, relationship, sex, pregnancy, money, peers and influence. They are the ones who see some value and lessons to be learned underneath the show’s exploitation.

While these two talk shows are as different as night and day, both have ruled the talk show circuit for many years now. Each one caters to a different audience while both have a strong following from legions of fans. Ironically, both could also be considered pioneers in the talk show world. Jerry Springer’s crude and vulgar topics may be looked down upon, but no other talk show comes close to the raw exposure of its guests. Not that it is a good thing, but it is kind of unique in its class. Oprah Winfrey was able to break away from the pack and create a unique and highly successful talk show. Only time will tell if anyone will follow in her footsteps. Even as these two talk shows stand on opposite sides of the spectrum, both have managed to stand alone to their highest extremes and are considered the best at what they are.