American Idol - or should that be 'American Freak Show'?

As a kid with what we used to call in the 1960s, a 'handicapped' sister, I remember sitting in class open mouthed, learning that in the nineteenth century, the well off were taken on tours of mad houses for entertainment. Even worse, we were told in hushed tones, that the 'keepers', would prod the lunatic inmates with sticks, stirring them up into outbursts of 'hilarious indignation'. Yesterday though, I had the misfortune to witness the twenty-first century counterpart - the freak show, which 'American Idol' has become; less the audition of wannabe pop stars, more perhaps, the public exhibiting of people with learning difficulties for the amusement of others.

In the broadcast of the heats at Seattle, Washington, we saw Britain's Simon Cowell, scowling at one after another of bizarre individuals, accompanied by a whooping Randy Jackson, and the disingenuous Paula Abdul, who told one no hope contestant after another that they were 'Awesome'. They came, in a depressing straggle, opined about their talent, their personality, their commitment to achieving stardom, and all the while they looked like the inmates of a special needs institution. It was painful, and that was before they opened their mouths to perform, or should I say, 'to massacre' the songs they had chosen to showcase their 'talents'.

Cowell, a look of horror on his face, likened one obviously autistic individual to a 'bush baby'. The blogosphere is now referring to the unfortunate lad as, 'lemurboy', and like many of the Seattle hopefuls, he was obviously someone who ought to have been protected, rather than put up on TV for public ridicule. Should we really be projecting this cruel spectacle, and the humiliation of such people for our entertainment?

The exhibition of the inadequate, is what masquerades as 'Reality TV' these days. It ranges from the porcine Jade Goodie in Britain's 'Big Brother', to the likes of Lemurboy, and his fellow contestants; an obese fellow called Jonathon with learning difficulties in a Hawaiian shirt, and a gap toothed ginger headed man who could have been in Deliverance if only the casting department had discovered him. No doubt they will use him now when they need a mutant for some sickening horror flick.

Maybe we laugh at the unfortunate delusions of these people because seeing them make a spectacle of themselves somehow confirms that we are 'normal'.

After I turned it off, I felt ashamed that I'd watched it for as long as I did.