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Jerry Springer, The Gateway Drug to America’s Hell, Exits the Stage
The U.S. was never a perfect country. There’s no argument there. The glorious past of our imagination was just that. It was a combination of Manifest Destiny and a suppression of the ugly facts that revealed the country’s founding.
However, while not perfect, it once was better. There really was a time when ordinary people didn’t display their ids in the public square. There really was a time when people were ashamed to reveal their prejudices to others. They thought what they thought, but they kept it private. People behaved as if their mothers were always watching.
What happened? It’s easy to blame “the media” in general or point to “identity politics,” a catch-all term for “people who aren’t me,” or even the decline of organized religion. There are other idiosyncratic developments that I blame for the decline of our national discourse and behavior.
Jerry Springer’s antics are first among them. Decline and Fall — The Jerry Springer Show
Once upon a time, America’s daytime talk shows were a different animal; purring kittens instead of snapping lions. We old-timers still remember the gentle talk shows of the 60s, 70s, and 80s. Dick Cavett swiveled in his chair chatting with public intellectuals, show-biz legends, notable artists and creators, and other…
