A DUBIOUS TREND IN TELEVISION TALK SHOWS

I DON'T NORMALLY VIEW AFTERNOON TALK SHOWS.  FOR THAT MATTER, I SELDOM
WATCH ANY OF TELEVISION'S BOTTOM FEEDERS.  HOWEVER, ON DECEMBER 15,
I STUMBLED ON AN EPISODE OF THE "SALLY JESSE RAPHAEL SHOW", AND FOUND
MYSELF HORRIFIED BY WHAT WENT ON.

ESSENTIALLY, THIS MATRON OF AFTERNOON TV, BRINGS INDIVIDUALS TO THE
STAGE WITH SUPPOSEDLY UNIQUE PROBLEMS THAT ARE USUALLY SOLVED BY EITHER 
A "MAKE-OVER" OR A WEEK IN "BOOT CAMP".  THE GUESTS ARE USUALLY AVERAGE
HOME MAKING DIVAS, BRATTY CHILDREN, AND/OR DISENFRANCHISED PERSONS OF
VARYING SEX AND CREEDS.

THE SHOW IS SLIGHTLY MORE "MAINSTREAM" THAN "THE JERRY SPRINGER SHOW", 
AND SLIGHTLY BELOW THE UTOPIAN "OPRAH WINFREY SHOW".   

THE THEME OF THIS EPISODE WAS "I'M EMBARASSED BY MY MOTHER".  FOUR VERY 
SELFISH TEENAGERS, DECIDED THAT THEY WERE UNHAPPY WITH THE PUBLIC'S 
VIEW OF THEIR RESPECTIVE MOMS.

THE FIRST CASE INVOLVED A MOTHER WHO CHOSE TO STAND ON STREET CORNERS,
AND DISPLAY A "COOK FOR A DATE" SIGN.  AS ASININE AS THIS BEHAVIOR MAY
BE, WHAT BOTHERED ME MOST, WAS THE WOMAN'S INABILITY TO CARE FOR HER
CHILDREN, WHO HAD SUBSEQUENTLY BEEN PLACED IN A RELATIVE'S CARE.  THIS 
CHILD HAD A LEGITIMATE BEEF.  THE PARENT WAS ENGAGED IN BEHAVIOR WHICH
BORDERED ON PROSTITUTION, AND SHE OBVIOUSLY FELT HER LOVE-LIFE WAS MORE
IMPORTANT THAN THE REARING OF HER CHILDREN.  SHE SHOULD HAVE THOUGHT OF
HER NEEDS BEFORE HAVING KIDS IN THE FIRST PLACE.

THE SECOND CASE DEALT WITH A MOTHER WHO WAS VERY COMFORTABLE WITH HER
IMAGE, AND CHOSE TO DRESS IN AN ALLURING MANNER.  SHE WAS VERY ATTRACT-
IVE, AND I SAW ABSOLUTELY NOTHING WRONG IN HER APPEARANCE.  HOWEVER, 
THE DAUGHTER, SALLY, AND THE RAVENOUS LEMMINGS IN THE AUDIENCE, (HERE
THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE "...JERRY..." SHOW WAS NEGLIGIBLE!); THOUGHT 
SHE WAS "SLUTTY", FOR LACK OF A BETTER WORD.  

I LAUGHED AT THE IRONY OF A DAUGHTER TELLING A MOM HOW TO DRESS.  BY 
THE WAY, HER AMAZONIAN DAUGHTER WAS FAR FROM BEING A FASHION PLATE!  

SADLY, THEY WERE ABLE TO EMBARASS THE MOM INTO CHANGING HER LOOK.  NOT
TOO BAD, BUT MUCH OF HER SEX APEAL DISAPPEARED ONCE SHE WAS "CLONED"
INTO CRITERIA SUGGESTED BY THE POWERS THAT BE.  SHE NOW LOOKED LIKE THE
REST OF THE MATRONLY SET, HIDING THEIR DEFORMITIES BENEATH SHROUDS AND
THREE-PIECE SUITS.  INDIVIDUAL EXPRESSION ONCE AGAIN BITES THE DUST.

THE THIRD WOMAN BROUGHT TO THE GUILLOTINE, WAS PERFECTLY COMFORTABLE
LOUNGING AROUND IN TIE-DYED T-SHIRTS AND WELL-WORN JEANS.  SHE HUMBLY 
ADMITTED TO OWNING ONLY ONE DRESS, AND COULDN'T UNDERSTAND WHY HER 
DAUGHTER WAS SO EMBARASSED BY HER DRESS.  I COULDN'T UNDERSTAND WHY
EITHER.  THIS WOMAN HAD EVERY RIGHT TO DRESS AS SHE PLEASED, BUT THE 
SLAVERING CROWD, SALLY, AND THE DAUGHTER, ONCE AGAIN WON OUT.

THE MOMENT THE MOM WAS BROUGHT BACK ON STAGE, I FELT EMBARASSED.  THIS
WOMAN NOW LOOKED LIKE A CLOWN.  OF COURSE, THE AUDIENCE THOUGHT SHE WAS
BEAUTIFUL, AND THE DAUGHTER (...WHO BY THE WAY, APPEARS TO BE ANOTHER
BRITNEY SPEARS CLONE, LOVELY TO LOOK AT, BUT NO SUBSTANCE!), WAS HAPPY.

THE FOURTH "INCIDENT" INVOLVED A MIDDLE-AGED WOMAN, WHO HAD FOUND 
HAPPINESS ON THE INTERNET, BY ENGAGING IN "PHONE-SEX" WITH RANDOM PART-
NERS.  SHE WAS MARRIED AND HER HUSBAND WAS NO LONGER INTERESTED IN HER.
HOWEVER, HER BEHAVIOR EMBARASSED HER DAUGHTER.  (EVENTUALLY, THE HUBBY
GOT INVOLVED, AND ADMITTED HIS DISAPPOINTMENT, AS WELL!)  

I FELT BADLY FOR THIS WOMAN.  NATURE HAD NOT BEEN KIND TO HER, AND THIS 
WAS PROBABLY THE ROOT OF HER MARITAL DIFFICULTIES.  SHE HAD FOUND A WAY
TO SATISFY HERSELF, AND OTHERWISE KEEP THE STATUS-QUO.  SADLY, AFTER
THE "LYNCHING" SHE RECEIVED ON NATIONAL TELEVISION, HER MARRIAGE AND
LIVING ARRANGEMENTS WILL PROBABLY DRASTICALLY CHANGE.

WHAT I FIND INHERENTLY EVIL IN THIS SHOW AND OTHERS, IS THE BREAKING 
DOWN OF INDIVIDUALISM INTO THE MOB RULE MENTALITY OF THE LOWEST COMMON
DENOMINATORS.  

THIS COUNTRY IS SUPPOSED TO ABOUT FREEDOM.  YET, MORE AND MORE, I SEE 
OUR INDIVIDUAL RIGHTS AND LIBERTIES, BEING UNDERMINED BY BLIND PUBLIC
TERRORISM.  WE ARE LIVING IN A COUNTRY THAT IS NOW DRIVEN BY THE ALL-
MIGHTY DOLLAR.  OUR ECONOMY WREAKS HAVOC UPON THOSE LIVING AT THE 
BOTTOM OF MASLOV'S PYRAMID, AND THE PUBLIC FINDS JUSTIFICATION IN USING
"THE GLASS TEAT" TO LASH OUT IT'S MORALITY.