'IT'S A BRAND NEW LCD TV!!!'

     Only recently have I been reintroduced to daytime television after several years of frightening yet oddly comfortable employment.  I know that this landscape has changed quite a bit since their glory days during my childhood.  Game shows are mostly gone and the ones that still exist have eliminated contests of any discernible skills or knowledge and have de-evolved into chuckle fests hosted by former chuckle getters.  Soap operas were never really my scene but, except for a few oldies but goodies, they have evaporated into the ether faster than sands in the hourglass.
     What is left?  Not much, I guess.  Talk shows that were once hosted by Oprah and Phil have been replaced by chair throwing and trash talking hosted by people named Maury and Jerry.  The dry wit of Judge Wapner has been replaced by sassy gavel pounding finger wavers that are now mostly female (women of the world, is this really progress?)
     There are also several food and Doctor shows on the air too but sometimes it's difficult to tell who is who when they both tell you that defecating is a normal part of life and that a little kale in your diet wouldn't hurt.
     All of these shows should really be lumped into the 'reality' category because, as usual, they have no basis in actual real life along with their night time counterparts who engage in choreographed arguments, celebrity-lacking celebrity programs, talent-less talent shows and any type of program designed to trick you into thinking that ethics and morals never existed and the simple lie that if you use any profanity it will be bleeped out by some supernatural censor in the sky.
     When did 'we' become a people that can only feel good about ourselves by feeling that we are at least better than that guy or gal on the screen?
     Yes, most of these programs are on the major networks.   There are some surprisingly good shows on some cable channels but even the documentaries are starting to be over-run by insipid 'dramatic re-creations' of how something came to exist.  For example, it apparently was a ego contest that caused Lee Iacocca to try to out 'man' John DeLorean and his Pontiac GTO by creating the Ford Mustang in the 'swinging 60s.'  The fact that these two men created these cars all by themselves is just as preposterous as the notion that 'swinging' also had something to do with it.  Leave it to the History Channel to prove they can cater to the Lowest Common Denominator just as well as the big networks.
     If this is just all some subliminal salad designed to keep the general public stupid, fat and lazy than I believe you network programmers are vastly out-performing yourselves.  Well played.

UPDATE (7/22/18):  I have updated the title of this piece to reflect what I think the 'LCD' feature really means when manufacturers explain the type of television they are selling.