Thought I'd have a light television moment. Since football season is over (leaving me at the mercy of American Idol and ads for grisly new crime shows), I'm getting nostalgic for the show that brings me all the drama and pathos of the low life, without all the viewer discretion. Now, obviously this is TV and even "reality" shows don't have much to do with reality, but the parade of cases on Judge Judy is so reflective of our national mood and the general level of morality, etiquette, and interpersonal relationships that it makes an interesting cultural study. Plus, I just love Judy.
For those unfamiliar with Judith Sheindlin herself, she's a real retired family court judge, but her court isn't a real court. The litigants agree to have Judge Judy arbitrate their claims on national television, and the producers of the show pay out the awards. In fact, Judge Judy is THE successor to The People's Court, which stopped airing in 1993. The other court shows are trying to cash in on her success, but Judge Judy is the real success story here.
Why is she so popular? The winners may come away with money, but rarely their dignity. Judge Judy is the Dr. Laura Schlessinger of the legal world, and both women have as their calling card plain talk and the ability to ferret out the lies and hidden motives of those who come to them, who often end up looking ridiculous. Roomate wars, boyfriend/girlfriend spats, petty assault, harrassment, and the ever-popular "I gave him a loan/No, it was a gift"--everyone's story is heard and vivisected, while it is Judge Judy--"The Ultimate Truth Machine"--whose viewpoint prevails.
In fact, the show wouldn't be nearly as entertaining if her less truthful or prepared litigants didn't get humiliated on a regular basis. You'd better not talk out of turn, or interrupt her. She has no mercy for deadbeat dads, delinquent tenants, careless pet owners, or angry motorists. She tells people what they probably need to hear but that nobody else has the guts to tell them: "I suggest that you get a job." "You are full of baloney!" "If it doesn't make sense, it's not true!" "Are you a lowlife sir?! Yes you are!" And my personal favorite: "You're not the boss, Applesauce!" (I plan to use this line on my toddler.)
Judy's emphasis on the truth is telling. People want justice. If they didn't want it, we wouldn't have shows like this. But nobody is prepared to believe that the incident was THEIR FAULT. She faces an endless parade of the consequences of sin in a world in which no one is willing to admit it exists. It amazes me that a nation which rejects a divine Judge with supreme power to decide big, cosmic issues embraces TV shows about human judges with limited power to settle small claims--and the harsher and more arbitrary the judge, the better. People seem to be eager for humiliation, but not humility. They will confess their sins to the world, but not to God's agent in the confessional. Instead of seeking truth, they seek "The Ultimate Truth Machine."
Of course the show is not reality, and my comparison doesn't go far enough. But if we imagine for a moment just how our cosmic judgment is going to go, it would bear little resemblance to a TV court. There will be no cross-examination, because God knows everything you did. There will be no need for evidence or witnesses. He can see to the heart of all our motives, our excuses, our prideful denials. He can see the times in our lives when we took the right fork in the road and we know we should have taken the left. And there will be no appeal. It is God's viewpoint that will prevail.
What will there be left to say, at that moment, in our defense? The thought may well make us shudder, as it should. How do we know we are on the right path? How do we know that we will be justified before Him? These days there's a truth for sale in every ideology on the market. But shows like Judge Judy are a reflection of an eternal reality--a real Truth. And we should care about finding it.
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She's an arrogant witch with a mind as narrow as a walnut. She advocated giving dirty needles to heroin users, saying "I don't see why it's important to keep these people alive." She's scum, part of the problem in this country. To her and to anyone else of her ilk I say this: America will never be anything remotely resembling a free country if a whole segment of society is considered second-class citizens and by this I mean adults who use drugs. Whether you personally agree with their choice or not I could give a shit less, as it isn't YOUR choice to make, but theirs. When will the government in this country (and its tiny-minded backers all across the U.S.) finally realize that if you constantly are telling adults what they can and cannot put in their bodies then they aren't treating them as adults at all? So do you want a country where all the adults are treated as little children who aren't up to making adult decisions? Or do you want a country where the adults are actually (gasp!) treated like ADULTS? To hell with Judge Judy and to hell with a country that treats adults who choose to use drugs like they are criminals.
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