Outline
Thesis: The purpose of talk shows is to show examples of what not to do. It is a good example because it shows real life examples of people who made the mistakes people do not want to make.
I. Introduction to Talk Shows
A. Ehrenreich states, “Disturbing and sometimes disgusting, yes, but their very business is to preach the middle-class virtues of responsibility, reason and self-control” (237).
1. Ehrenreich is talking about talk shows.
B. Some people feel that talk shows are a joke, and the only reason people go onto talk shows is for self-attention.
C. There is the belief that the purpose of talk shows is to show examples of what not to do.
1. Although people go onto the shows and act ruthless, it is still a good example because it shows real life examples of people who made the mistakes normal middle-class people would not want to make.
II. The Downside of Talk Shows
A. What seems to be a simple problem on talk shows turns out to be a web full because the contestants give the appearance that they have done nothing wrong until the show hosts dig deep to find out things that contestants did not want viewers to know.
1. Although this is very entertaining and creates a much bigger plot, this is not the point of shows to point out flaws in their contestants.
2. This point right here is partly the reason why people think talk shows such as Montel Williams are such jokes because it is full of nothing but lying and deception.
3. They say are going to talk about one problem but the contestant brings “a bag full of problems to the table.”
B. Another downside of talk shows is the perception that everything is staged.
1. This means that there is no true problem at all; it is all for mere entertainment purposes only.
2. If the situations are staged, then people will have less interest in the show because they will feel it is just a simple political stunt to receive attention.
C. Although the idea seems like a great idea to cover, there is only so much that can be done with the material at hand; the plot is always the same (Ehrenreich 238).
1. After a while, the same problems tend to show up.
2. When this starts to happen, there is less interest in the show because it is essentially a repeat.
3. This gives the impression that people accept the idea to be on the show to humiliate themselves for money.
III. The Upside of Talk Shows
A. Although people tend to makes their selves a laughing stalk to the viewers, the lesson learned from the show is still a solid one to take away to remember.
1. Even though people will say that the shows are a joke, the life lessons learned are priceless because people can see a real example of “what not to do.”
2. Instead of viewers laughing at the contestants, they should respect them and be thankful they are not in that situation.
3. When viewers are finished watching the shows, they have something they can take away with them because although it seemed funny at the time, the situation the viewer watched will be embedded in the back of their minds.
4. They will remember because even though it had the appearance of being crazy and outlandish, the situation and humiliation viewed will just stick with them, and they will remember that they will never put their selves in that situation.
B. Even if everything is staged, it still shows a possibility of what could happen.
1. Staged or not, the lesson is still the same: Don’t do what was seen on the talk show.
2. There are plenty of times where students receive staged situations, and they know without a doubt it is staged, but they still learn something from the situation because it still teaches a lesson.
C. People make the statement that the plot is always the same; this simply means, just like any other thing that people learn, it needs to be seen more than once.
1. When people see the same situation more than once, it is remembered better.
2. The same principle is used in school; students see the same type of math