The Jerry Springer Show

“Jerry, Jerry, Jerry,” this line from “The Jerry Springer Show” has swept across the nation encouraging fighting, sex, and even death. “The Jerry Springer Show” debuted in 1991 and has brought nothing, but false information and false hope to America. Through the use of lower-class, “redneck” families with uncommon problems such as incest, homosexuality, and sex at age 11, “The Jerry Springer Show” creates the illusion that southern “hick town” lifestyles are primitive and less superior to those of the North. Although the ratings of the show have been at the top of list, the show seems to embarrass the guests on the show and corrupt both northern and southern lifestyles.
“The Jerry Springer Show” can be labeled as “trash” on television. TV.com states “The Jerry Springer Show is probably most known for its foul mouths, excessive fighting, excessive nudity and wacky stories. Nearly every episode, if not all, have at least one bleeped over foul word. Then there are the sound effects. A clanging bell indicates it's time for a fight! Whenever a fat woman shows her boobs, the sound of a cow going "MOO!" is heard.” These “trashy” ideas and actions present the show as danger to television. Television is not supposed to act as a means to embarrass others publicly. HDTV Media Group Corporation in New York City, New York states, “Television has been designed to satisfy the thirst and demand for all kinds of information, education and inspiration, today and tomorrow, for persons of all ages and all races throughout the world.” “The Jerry Springer Show” does not present news or information helpful to society, but rather corrupts the future of society. In the future, people will believe that it is acceptable to behave in a way that is “trashy” and “of bad taste.”
The show focuses on three main areas of interest: sex, drugs, and fighting. Jerry Springer portrays sex as a “joke” and appropriate for all ages. One episode, “My 11 Year Old Daughter Had Sex” shows a girl who has had sex with a man. The girl is paraded around television and acts as an example to young 11 year old girls who may think it is alright to have sex. The fact is that people are influenced very much by what they see on television. Television can influence others through the use of advertisement, shows, and news reports. TV can tell you that the “Big Mac” is the best sandwich in the world and can only be found at McDonald’s, but these are opinions of people and may not always be correct. “The Jerry Springer Show” also acts as an advertisement to easily influenced viewers. For example, Jerry Springer can bring on guests that have taken a certain drug, but are still very handsome or beautiful. Many viewers may think that if they take the same drug, it will enhance them and they will grow to be more attractive. This can be a subtle advertisement that makes children go out and buy drugs. The third aspect of “The Jerry Springer Show” is fighting. Fighting takes place on every show. Whenever one feels the need to “knock someone out” he can do so exactly at the moment he feels. Chairs, Tables, Shoes can be thrown and can injure other guests. On one show, a man actually caused the death of another, not by fighting, but by cheating on his girlfriend with another woman. The girlfriend found the other woman and killed her. These experiences shown live on TV affect viewers because they feel they can lash out, have sex, or smoke “dope” whenever they want. People act the way they are shown to act on TV.
Television Programs across the world can positively affect viewers and create a sense of good in the world. Unfortunately, “The Jerry Springer Show” does not do this. The show corrupts other and brings evil into the world. But why do people watch it? The answer to this question can be easily answered. People watch shows such as “The Jerry Springer Show” for entertainment. Entertainment can be described by Webster’s Dictionary as “any activity that is diverting and that holds the attention of an audience.” Throughout the century, entertainment has transformed into gruesome behavior, deformed images, and illogical answers. “The Jerry Springer Show” captures these mysterious ways and produces entertainment in the world. It is entertainment even though it is the wrong kind of entertainment.
The lifestyles of today are being corrupted by shows such as “The Jerry Springer Show” and need to be corrected to fix society. Although, it may act as a means of entertainment, it still defeats the purpose of providing useful information to the viewers of the program. As Nicholas Johnson states, “All television is educational television. The question is: what is it teaching?”