The more I write, the more I show my cards. Shoot! Yes, I watch The Tyra Banks Show. Did I just lose "street cred"? I think there's a reason her show is seeing success. She engages a wide variety of topics, floating back and forth effortlessly between the serious and the frivolous. A few heavy shows on racism and then BAM! a makeover show on spring fashions. Sure, it can be melodramatic or even insincere, but I like that she is confronting some pressing social issues.
Every now and then, I catch some sociological subtext in her show. What? Tyra a social scientist? Nope...and that's exactly the problem! I'm thankful that she chooses to talk about important stuff, but too often it seems like pop psychology and sloppy social science rule the roost. Truthfully, she is free to do that, and many people enjoy it. But it's possible that she's perpetuating the idea that behavior is as simple as cause and effect. In reality, social science is much more complex than that. Research methodology is so important, and we can't afford to allow people to think that social issues and social problems can be resolved in one hour by one "guest expert".
My generation has gotten a lot of flack for being self-centered. I don't think we are. Superficial, impatient, and materialistic maybe,but not self-centered. We care about community problems and world problems, and we're hungry for change, innovation, healing, and justice. But I firmly believe that those things will not come unless we assess, study, and analyze social issues thoroughly and using good science. Not just in universities but wherever we intend to engage in progressive discourse!
What do you think??
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