Baring our souls : TV talk shows and the religion of recovery

Author / Creator

Lowney, Kathleen S

Available as

Physical

Summary

"Although TV talk shows are a recent phenomenon, their roots go back to the itinerant circuses and religious revivals of the nineteenth century. Just as circuses made their money by displaying "fre...

"Although TV talk shows are a recent phenomenon, their roots go back to the itinerant circuses and religious revivals of the nineteenth century. Just as circuses made their money by displaying "freaks," so today's talk shows emphasize only the deviant aspects of their guests' lives. And like the revivalists of old, talk show hosts, such as Oprah Winfrey, Sally Jesse Raphael, and Montel Williams, attempt to "convert" their guests through healing powers. Guests who have been victimized bear witness to the pain and suffering they have endured at the hands of their victimizers. The liturgy of these salvational talk shows builds to a moment of conversion, when victimizers see the error of their ways. The hosts, victims, experts, and audience each play their part in the conversion drama that unfolds daily on the screen." "After framing the genre in this way, Dr. Lowney's book raises the essential question, conversion to what? The faith preached on talk shows is based on the principles of the Recovery Movement, among whose tenets are that care for one's self is the highest virtue and that psychological wounds that endure from childhood into adulthood create troublesome and addictive behaviors or "codependency." The only "cure" is to join a therapeutic 12-step group." "Baring Our Souls probes the roots of the genre in the religion of recovery, and holds both up to the scrutiny of sociological inquiry. This will be a welcome supplementary text in courses in social problems, media, and civil religion."--BOOK JACKET.

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