The Nation. - Department of Government at Cornell University

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CA 92115(619) 265-8104wanted to do when they grew up, all theblack boys raised their hands and said,“Deal crack, decimate my communityand do drive-bys.”This representation of black men asdicks is the dominant motif of many ofthe shows: “I wouldn’t sleep with him sohe dumped me,” “My man’s a dog andyou can have him,” “Confronting theperson who dumped you,” “Women wholet their men have sex with other women,”“I’d do anything for my man” andendless variations of “secret crush,”“dating game” and “he has to choose betweenme and her.”Whatever the topic, the format is asfollows: One person-usually a woman,since women are most frequently cast inthe role of stupid, powerless victimcomesout and tells all the couple’s businessto the apparently sympathetic hostand a leering, jeering, cheering audienceof her peers. This done, the other per-son-usually a man-is brought onstage,where he is confronted by his woman/women, booed or cheered by the audience,and gleefully encouraged by thehost to confirm our worst suspicions. Itwas initially interesting to see that a significantnumber of these couples are interracial,but the subtext quickly becameclear: Penis-waving black men prey notonly on black women, who deserve/areused to it, but on WHITE WOMEN. Thusthe shows confirm the popular politicalline that black men are to be feared-notonly In the street but in the bedroom.Violence, teenage pregnancy, poverty,spousal abuse, the spread of AIDS andother S.T.D.s, A.F.D.C.-you name it andMandingo’s behind it.Unfortunately, TV’s Mandingo seldomdisappoints. Neither does youngMr. Charlie. This is not surprising, sincethe desperate desire to be seen, recog-nized and on TV appears to have overridden95 percent of whatever commonsense exists. Almost daily, I witnessed aman attacked for his sexual promiscuitystand up and proudly gyrate or clutch hispenis for the camera. I began to wonderif talk-show producers’ pre-interview ofprospective guests consists of anythingmore than asking them to execute a bumpand grind.It’s rare that guests are given any advice,analysis or support. There is almostnever a psychologist, counselor or evena writer hawking a book on the topic tolisten, place in context or advise remedialaction. A few talk shows use audiencemembers as counselors or judges, butthis is solely for entertainment value. Theguests have gotten their fifteen minutesof fame, but leave essentially as theycame: alienated, angry and, most important,jobless. The hosts leave with a fatpaycheck.11 this has a profound political ef-A fect; daytime talk shows, intentionallyor not, have become storm troopersfor the right. Both the talk shows and theright wing erase the line between theanecdotal and the factual. Both focus attentionon the individual, aberrant behaviorof a small number of citizens anddeclare them representative of a group.So the black woman labeled a “welfarecheat” by elected officials comes to representmost women receiving Aid to FamiliesWith Dependent Children, when theoverwhelming majority of women receivingA.F.D.C. do not “cheat” the systemand would like nothing better than to geta job with benefits greater than thoseprovided by welfare. Rather than presentan honest look at what life on welfare’sreally like and initiating a discussion ofpositive “welfare reform,” most talkshows seek out the exception who appearsto prove the right-wing rule: a poor, uneducated,21-year-old woman on welfarewith four children. Why bother to havea serious discussion about education, unemploymentor building communitywhen it’s so much easier to demonizepoor black women?Watching TV talk shows was like bemgcaught in a daylong downpour of fear,hostility and paranoia. I found myselffeeling meanspirited and snarling by thetime the news came on at 6 o’clock, andfull of lust for revenge. In that mood itwas almost possible to entertain the notionthat old Newt might have some goodideas. Maybe we ought to take out a ContractWith America and punish the young,poor, female, black, Latino and gaythosetroublemakers we’ve watched swaggerthrough talk shows all day.While the pundits and the Presidentdiscuss the negative impact of right-wingradio talk shows in the wake of the Oklahomabombing, TV talk continues unnoticedand unanalyzed. But televisionreaches a much broader audience thanthe already converted who tune in to talkradio.Television gives not only a voicebut a face to our fear and rage, enablesus to point the finger of blame at thetube-at “them”-and roar for punishment,Isn’t that what the Contract onAmerica is all about? 0