There's probably some completely unoriginal joke about the show's guests' teeth to be found in that statement somewhere, but I'm afraid I have a far more socially damning point to make than the possible ramifications a person's economical state has on their dental hygiene. No, the show makes me feel ill because whenever I catch a glimpse of it, I feel as though I'm watching a freak show. I feel as though I have been carted back to some primitive state in Victorian England, where vulnerable people, different people, were exploited for somebody else's financial gain, and an audience raised on ignorance and insecurity decides to alternate trips to the theatre with these public humiliations.
Most of the guests on The Jeremy Kyle Show, let's face it, are pretty vulnerable. I can't speak for them, but I would imagine that some of the motivations for wanting to appear in that ITV weekday morning slot might include:
- money;
- access to free DNA testing;
- wanting to prove that they're right, and someone else is wrong;
- a little bit of fame or prestige.
Chances are, you don't know anyone who's been on The Jeremy Kyle Show, or know anyone who knows anyone who's been on The Jeremy Kyle Show. This is because most of us don't put ourselves on par with these "freaks" or "chavs". They are not like us, we think, and this makes us feel better about ourselves and the positions we hold in society, because at least we are not like them. "We don't have unprotected sex with seven different men in one month and question which one might be the father to our baby; we don't bicker about text messages found on our sister's boyfriend's phone which allude to said boyfriend's best mate's sister's vagina. We cannot imagine ourselves choosing to go on television in an Adidas tracksuit. These are entirely base, uncivilised individuals who should not be considered our equals. Let's laugh at them, the disgusting toothless sods."
But wait. These guests are people. They were born naked and crying, just like us. The only difference is, to be fair, a massive one: they weren't handed the same opportunities we were given, they're probably not as educated or as ambitious and consequently their lives have fewer avenues open to exploration. Thus, their income is low, their self-esteem is shot, and having a well-respected man like Jeremy Kyle and an audience of seemingly "sorted" individuals validate their life decisions and line their pockets with some money seems like a wise choice. But what I think few of these guests realise (at least until they get on the stage) is the humiliation cast upon them by "regular" folk like us who consider ourselves above and beyond such petty problems. "Poke them with a stick, Jeremy," we urge. "If only that man would go mad and hit someone. That would be even funnier." But the sickening reality is that we are watching a well-off, powerful man (who's probably cocked up along the way in his own life, as we all have) yell at groups of people unequipped to defend themselves, either due to lack of eloquence or, by the very nature of them wearing a fake gold chain, not capable of having anything they say be taken seriously.
I am sure that ITV and Jeremy Kyle would fiercely defend the show by saying that they are giving a group of people a platform to be seen and heard, offering their guests post-show support and access to counselling services and such - but the sad reality is that "helping some people" is neither the broadcaster's nor the show's motivation; rather, "making money" is the motivation, and if this feeds into a political agenda of painting the working classes as feckless, stupid and irresponsible, then all the better.
The Jeremy Kyle Show needs to start representing all groups of people, or else stop attempting to represent anyone at all.
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