imagined such depravity would appear on television, the show is now recognized and adored by many. The most rational explanation for this attraction to the new talk show genre is that it broadcasts more shocking and captivating topics. The shows are popular often because people are interested in that which they do not understand. Trash talk shows offer many divergent themes in the context of a particular show; they are important and dynamic venues that voice the unconventional views of the silent non-conformist. However, Secretary of Education, William Bennet, believes that although these shows might be popular they derogate our civilization, and that these stories should be “kept under wraps.” Unaccepted views, whether accepted or not, must be made available to the public. Moreover, we should judge these ideas decisively and not those who utter them.In the world of entertainment, trash talk shows have undoubtedly flood every open crevice on daytime television. Jerry Springer could easily be considered the king of trash TV, or as Joshua Gamson puts it, “fairground style freak shows”(8). The topics on his shows are about as deplorable as they can get. The show takes the common talk show themes of lost love, lust, sex, sexuality, cheating, adultery, betrayal, hatred, conflict and ethics to a different level—usually combining several themes and making money along the way. To understand trash TV in its most splendid tastelessness one can hardly do worse than to watch the now omnipresent network tabloid programming. Along the way, all sorts of scandalous material and distasteful chicanery emerge, but with little mystery in the subject matter. In our capitalist society, the quest for ratings is rarely subtle and barely surprising, but it is not without its destructive dynamics. Networks produce shocking television at their own peril, since they risk undermining the integrity on which their claim to trust and cre...
