Baring Our Souls: TV Talk Shows and the Religion of Recovery (Social Problems & Social Issues) Book

Television talk shows are a recent phenomenon, but their roots go back to the itinerant circuses and religious revivals of the nineteenth century. Circuses made their money by displaying "freaks," just as talk shows emphasize only the deviant aspects of their guests? lives. And like the revivalists of old, talk show hosts attempt to convert their guests to a religion that has the power to heal. Guests who have been victimized give witness to the pain and suffering they have endured at the hands of their victimizers. Salvational talk shows build to a moment of conversion, when victimizers see the error of their ways and choose to convert. The hosts, victims, and relationship experts each play their part in the conversion drama that unfolds daily over the airways. This book questions the religion of recovery, examining the consequences for public discourse about social problems if talk shows continue to psychologize the social. At the turn of the millennium, Americans need to be able to discuss poverty or discrimination without simply blaming their victims. Salvational talk shows, which espouse the religion of recovery, make such a public discourse difficult.Read More