Writing home about the Jerry Springer Show would be a short letter about a long line.
(I confess that I only watched the show all the way through once after we obtained the tickets, although I, of course, have seen coming attractions and read about the show (particularly the opera). What I hoped to discover is whether the guests were paid actors. The first story, too awful to repeat, felt scripted. As I said, there was only one incidence of fisticuffs and one woman who came all the way from New Jersey just to bare her breasts for Jerry, the audience, and some cheap plastic beads. But the audience, to my surprise, was a cross section of people. AND the audience is directed: When to applaud, when to shout, when to stand and pump your fists. And clearly the guests are directed because those who did fight, immediately removed their high-heeled shoes. Although I never did get a satisfactory answer to my questions--are the guests real or paid actors--I feel confident when I say that the audience is there for a good time, you know like watching a gladiatorial event or looking at a freak show. And maybe the guests are hired and maybe the are encouraged to smack each other around. But it, like all experiences, had an interesting side. By the way, I could not bring myself to pump my fists and chant "Jerry! Jerry!"--which led my friend to call me an elitist snob. She may be correct.)