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¶ … Television talk shows can be embarrassing, and it would be better if people turned them off and watched something else.
GAWK SHOWS
"Gawk Shows" talks about how Americans like to gawk at others that are different or odd, just like in a carnival side show. Television shows highlight people who have horrible or unusual diseases, and people cannot help but turn on the television and watch in fascination. As the author notes, "Gawk shows sell" (Fox 307), and this is one reason there are so many of them. People watch them, and many people, even the talk show hosts who have these people on their shows, believe that people watch them because our culture is decayed and not interested in serious topics (Fox 307). This is why people also enjoy baring their souls on talk shows like "Oprah." It does not matter than millions of strangers are watching the show, people will talk about anything to get their "fifteen minutes of fame." Sometimes...
He says, "The question is, Why do we want it?" (Fox 308). The author does not think watching these kinds of public and personal shows has changed anything in America. If they changed something for the better, they might not be so bad, but they do not, and so they are pretty worthless. The author does note that some of the shows these talk show hosts do are decent, and do provide a service, like the ones that discuss health problems, or how to deal with money issues. These can be very helpful for the people who watch, but they do not seem to be as frequent as the shows that air dirty laundry or take advantage of people with disabilities.
People like to listen to other people's problems because it makes them feel better about themselves. Author Fox calls this…
Bibliography
Fox, Nicols. "Gawk Shows."
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