STEVE WILKOS: A TERRIBLE MAN

Why, in our country, do we have this misplaced illusion that people who have "succeeded" in other facets of the American lifestyle (modeling, cooking, fighting, playing a sport, etc.) can somehow be competent enough to host a daytime talk show? Rachel Ray is a cook, who then hosts "Everyday with Rachel Ray," which is, at first, a show about cooking. But all the sudden, when ratings start to slip, we see guests who are victims domestic violence, and Ray seems to "counsel" them on their traumatizing experience. Or take Tyra Banks, (I almost can't stand her more than big fat Rosie Odonnell!) who made most of her millions objectifying women to the point of prancing around in her panties for Victoria's Secret. Now, however, she somehow is a type of sage on relationships, and provokes guests who are involved in bad marriages, etc. on how to "fix" them. I could keep going with Tyra, and how she made her millions exposing her body, but, now that she is rich, coincidentally enough thinks its so wrong how women do this to themselves. But I wont. Today's rage is directed at Steve Wilkos, the former "bouncer" on that benchmark of American values "The Jerry SPringer Show."

Obviously, because he is bald and can bench 450, he is deserving of a show. Today was a snowday for me, and I swear we watched no television except for "Knocked Up" this morning. However, Amanda was napping with Thomas, and I skimmed through the channels momentarily. The subject of the Steve Wilkos show today was "I'm TERRORIZED of my son!" I watched one segment, and one segment only, but that was enough to personally upset me for the rest of the day.

Now I cannot speak for the rest of the guests on this piece of trash show. But what I DID see was a mother (I will be kind and just call her slutty looking) who had an 11 year old son who, apparently, was "acting out" at home too much, and was thus becoming unmanageable. Let me backtrack for a moment: This "mother" was on her 5th (as in five) boyfriend in three years. Each one of the past four boyfriends (one of whom is this boys dad) went to prison on domestic violence charges for beating the mother and the eleven year old son. Now the mother is on her fifth loser, who looks like he might, with the right schooling, eventually be able to assist with your order at Subway (on a Sunday. Before the dinner rush. When there are four other employees on).

What followed next was terrifying: the locus of the conversation didnt settle on the deadbeat boyfriend or the "morally casual" mother. Rather, the crux of the material settled on the fact that this poor young kid was "misbehaving," "being violent," and "not listening to me [the mom] or Chad [the boyfriend]." This poor kid was being crucified by Chad and Steve Wilkos for the way he acts. "He is so selfish and greedy and he only thinks about himself, and he doenst let me IN when I try to father him." YA THINK??? He is eleven. What the hell is this? This REALLY makes me mad, and it really takes a lot to really make me mad. . . .

I am a teacher. I teach high school every day. I see a lot of problem kids, and many times I think the kids need a good old fashioned ass kicking to improve their attitude. I am all for discipline, even when my colleagues may disagree. But this boy's attitude is NOT his fault, and the fact that he is exploited on television is disgusting--what happens later in the show, although I didnt watch the next segment, is that this boy was brought to "spend the night in jail" with Steve, so he could see how he was going to end up if he didn't stop being so violent. Why should this boy know any different? Who are his role models? A skanky mom who is so concerned with getting gross fat people sex that she completely ignores the "crying out in pain" of her own son? Or is it Chad, the combover hero boyfriend who is probably here for two more weeks, or until the gross fat people sex starts to slow down a bit. Why should he even TALK to this Chad, never mind treat him like a dad? How dare Chad call out an eleven year old kid for "listening to his music too loud." I, personally, would like to tear this guy a new aperture.

This is SO AMERICA that it makes me sick. The grownups are fine . . .there is no need for them to change. But YOUTH? Well, obviously, if they are upset or traumatized or ignored as a result of domestic violence, then, the clear choice is to send them to prison. With Steve Wilkos. Who can lift heavy things.

I am young. I am yet to be a parent. I will no doubt get lit up in the comment section of this entry. But the family values system in our country is so screwed up. I think the mom should dump the boyfriend. Period. She blew her chance at happiness when she got involved with the dregs of society. She has a son to raise. A son who needs her. A son who doesnt need a stepfather to force his way into his broken life and demand affection. A son who definitely doesnt need to be blamed for the way he acts. This is disgusting TV, and Steve Wilkos is just as bad as the fat grownups for playing along. At the end, right before I shut off the TV, Steve was getting up in the boy's business, his face red and veins popping out of his neck, screaming "YOU THINK YOU'RE SUCH A TOUGH GUY?? SEE HOW YOU ACT NOW BOY!!" To which a teary eleven year old kid remarked "I never said I was a tough guy . . .its just no one listens to my side of the story."