I’m generally a fan of Oprah’s show, but saw a few minutes yesterday that I found sad and disheartening.

The child I saw must be about 5 or 6 at the oldest. He has glasses, red hair, an exuberant personality and an encylopaedic knowledge of dinosaurs. Oprah was talking to him an a condescending manner, asking him to do tricks like a pet dog.  It was worse than a strip club. At least the strippers get paid.

I thought he had his father with him, and then realized that it was Jay Leno. What the hell is that about? Where are the parents and why are they being replaced by Jay Leno? All young children need attention, but they don’t need to be talked down to, especially not intellectually precocious kids. They, like everyone, want to be seen and appreciated and stimulated, not watched for entertainment.
It’s easy to confuse those two when you’re young and you can end up confusing your intelligence or attractiveness or whatever it is that’s getting adult attention with regard for your Self.
I recommend the film Magnolia does a great job of showing the layers of childhood precociousness and the effects on identity and self-worth.

This entry was posted on Saturday, August 19th, 2006 at 5:38 pm and is filed under life. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.