Jerry … Jerry… Jerry
Arriving home early from work and having the opportunity to catch some day time T.V. I happened upon the Jerry Springer show.
Now I had seen this show before - but some years ago. From what I know saw it seems that the whole thing had taken on a whole new energy and direction.
This particular show about unfaithful spouses had, for no apparent reason, a couple of pole dancers gyrating in the background….
At one point in the discussion (and that is being too charitable) the audience who had responded so enthusiastically to the fight that had broken out between two sisters who were competing for a particular guys affections called out “fight naked - fight naked - fight naked”.
The arguing women then commenced to take off their tops, their bras and continued to grapple.
Springer meanwhile looked on like some perverted ringmaster and commented, sarcastically, about the appearance and attractiveness of those involved.
What on earth is going on here?
The audience were plainly enjoying not only the emotional rollercoaster ride of the lives of others but were goading them on to behavioural excess.
The whole thing was painfully addictive.
I sat open mouthed wondering at this neo-gladitorial contest with slavering audience members calling for more and more de-humanising behaviours from the contestants…
The imperial thumbs down being replaced by the “L” for loser sign made by extending the thumb horizontally and the forefinger vertically.
Don’t get me wrong I am far from being a prude nor am I into censorship but I do question the level to which we as human beings have evolved when public displays of humilation and the trivialisation of anothers pain are seen as being entertainment.
So, you might say, the gladitorial contestants have a choice about whether they appear on such shows or not.
That is as may be - but the question still remains as to how far people are willing to go for their 15 minutes of fame and what is it in our society which drives them to seek it at any cost?
The UK TV phenomenon Big Brother exemplifies this….Here we have a large section of the UK public watching the antics of a group of people who have been specially selected for their antagonistic and ‘quirky’ qualities placed in a house and encourgaged to undertake a range of utterly pointless tasks.
As a psycho-sociological experiment it is flawed - as a comment upon our society it is painful.
The individuals who audition to take part in this show have their personal motives for sure - mostly to do with the acquisition of fame, wealth or public recognition.
Their lives in this technological godlfish bowl are front page news… people want to know what Jade, or Chantelle or Ziggy or whoever are doing and who they are doing it with.
This voyeuristic drive is disturbing.
Yet we watch - I watch from time to time that’s how come I know the names of some of the inmates - and I wonder why?
What I do know is that many of these no-talent, and possibly dysfunctional, people will probably earn more money from their escapades (and the more extreme their behaviour the more financially rewarding the stories will be) than you or I could do in a a decade.
Sour grapes - perhaps, but the knowledge that it is our desire for their stories which make them a marketable commodity is perhaps even more of a concern.
So let’s celebrate mediocrity and reward anti-social attitudes and behaviour and make these people our role models shall we?
Alan
