Jer-ry!! Jer-ry!!

Kipnis later goes on to talk about an episode of Jerry Springer which was called "Fat Greeting Cards." There was a debate on this episode which featured Jerry and his audience versus overweight women featured in comical greeting cards. While the women said they thought the photos were empowering and made them feel sexy, Jerry and his crowd thought the women were making jokes out of themselves and their weight.

The main issue that I found with this segment of the chapter was the total attack on the women by the audience and even Jerry himself. While these greeting cards are found humorous by some people that give/receive them, these photos made these women feel beautiful. If they could get a sense of good self-esteem from starring in these cards, then I don't see why this would be a show segment at all. Eventually, the audience began attacking the women, calling them fat and a poor representation of overweight people. Isn't this the real societal problem? Not that women are appearing half-naked on a birthday card (as quite a few thin women have as well), but that a whole audience is putting them down because they feel good about themselves. We've talked in the past about television reflecting American society, and if this is how Americans are truly viewed, we have a major problem.