I love those syndicated daytime judge shows. I grew up watching The People's Court every day after school with AverageGranDaddy while eating fried baloney sandwiches and sweet tea, so maybe there's some element of Negro Nostalgia at work. Whatever the case, I have these shows on Tivo Season Pass since I actually have a Day Job to go to, and I'm especially a big fan of Judge Mathis and Judge Joe Brown (who even has his own tags on this site). I used to like Divorce Court till they canned my girl Mablean and replaced her with that wannabe Coretta Scott King chick. Note to the producers of Divorce Court: Bad move.
There are at least a dozen of these shows now, and they all follow the same format. Find real life civil cases on local small claims court dockets that sound interesting. Ask the litigants to handle their case out of court. Fly them to a studio. Feed them some manufactured soundbytes for the sake of drama. Mix in a few career school (Everest College), personal injury law firm (my boys Greenberg and Bederman), and predatory lending ("get the cash you need in a flash at CashPoints!") commercials, because you know people at home all day watching these shows are conditioned to look for an easy come-up. And there you have it, a cheap, proven formula for guaranteed syndication dollars.
Simply put, judge shows are soap operas for unemployed men.
Anyone who's ever spent an extended amount of time in court [hint] knows real life court is boring as all get out. Unless you're on the jury or on trial, there's little to see. Deliberations are slow. You can't really hear or see what's going on. The cases aren't even that interesting. So the manufactured Hollyweird drama of these shows makes the real thing seem hollow by comparison.
Maybe Melody Burham missed that memo.
A litigant who appeared on the "Judge Mathis" television court show has sued Greg Mathis, Warner Bros and Telepictures, claiming she was done in by the show and essentially called a "hick".I can't say that I happened to see the episode in question here, since truth be told, I usually skip over the segments that don't have black plaintiffs or defendants. Sorry, but something about watching ghetto dysfunction on TV is too strong a pull for even a righteous brotha like me to resist. And you wonder why BET won't switch up.
Melody Burnham says the show contacted her over a lawsuit she had filed against a tenant. Burnham, a resident of San Diego, alleges producers never explained that Mathis was not a sitting judge in a real court.
Burnham goes on to allege that when she actually appeared before Mathis and the cameras (and the crew and the studio audience), she was still in the dark that it was not a real court. She says she didn't figure that out for more than a year. Ding dang!
So Burnham's suit against Mathis, filed in San Diego County Superior Court, claims she was held hostage in a dressing room for six hours without food. She also claims, among many other things, she didn't know she was going to be countersued until minutes before the trial.
But the unkindest cut of all -- Mathis "....ridiculed her for the pictures showing her washing machine outside, calling her a 'hillbilly.'"
According to the suit, Mathis dismissed the case, awarded damages to neither party, and stated, "I'm sending you hillbillies back to the hills.
Since I am familiar with the show, however, I don't doubt for a second that Judge Mathis called this woman a hillbilly. Part of the perverse appeal of these show is that the judges can throw the book, and every insult in it, at anyone who steps in the court. Sure, it's a little extra, but it's part of what makes the show watchable. Again, this ain't real court. She's lucky she just got called a hillbilly. I've seen people get called far worse.
On the other hand, what kind of moron is Melody Burham? How could she not know this wasn't real court? Did she miss this small fact when she signed that waiver form? Maybe when she was flown to Chicago, although her case was in California? Maybe she overlooked the fact that she was given a clip-on mic before entering the courtroom. Perhaps she missed the 27 video cameras, and the fact that the courtroom didn't even have four walls.
Chick Please!!!
For the uninitiated, here's a quick clip from the show. Pure comedy.
How could you go on a show like this and think you were in a real courtroom? Maybe Melody Burham is just what Judge Mathis called her. What other excuse is there?
I'd normally tab this sorta thing as a Frivolous Lawsuit, but it really makes me wish I had a Caucasian Nonsense tag instead. Don't expect this suit to ever make it to court; be it the real-life boring version or this made-for-TV variant.
Bonus Footage!!! Watch this crackhead get cussed out by Judge Joe Brown. Tell me this ain't entertainment!!!
Litigant to Judge Mathis -- I Ain't No Hillbilly, Dang It! [TMZ]
Average Email
Average FAQ
Average Bio
AB @ AOL BlackVoices
AB @ NPR
AB @ WashingtonPost
Posts
7 AverageComments™:
As entertaining as that Judge Joe Brown clip started out to be, by the end, I was saddened and dismayed by the fact that that effed up man was the father of 6 + children who will all grow up to have some form of daddy-issues that will manifest themselves into more even dysfunction. It may have warranted a few head shakes and snickers, but in reality, that one case is a mere microcosm of the perils and downfall of our black family unit and communities. Too many single mothers left to raise young men whose daddies are too busy tryna be gangstas, pimps, junkies, and dealers to give a damn. The cyclical crackhead effect will continue for generations to come.
Thanks for your comment, Anonymous. I'd just like to add one critical point here that is consistently overlooked- we're always focused on fatherless BOYS but never seem to get around to considering the damage that is endured by fatherless GIRLS. I'd just like everyone to really remember to include this in their critique of the problems in our community. I kind of feel like it needs to be screamed out from the rooftops- it's NOT ALL ABOUT YOU, black men!!! Please, please open your minds!!
Thanks for your comment on my comment, but we have all seen the ill-effects of the missing male role-model in a young man's life (i.e. Lil Boyonce video). No matter how hard we may try and think we are doing a good job, there is NO way a woman can teach a boy how to be a man. She can make a noble attempt, but only a real MAN can show a boy how to be a real man. It's all in correlation though: the fatherless girls have issues that boil over into their relationships where they may become a single mom tryna raise a man when she didn't even have one in her life. The male figure is pertinent in the boy's life because he can show him how to treat and respect the fatherless issue-riddled girl that he will one day run across and hopefully stop the vicious cycle. It really IS about the black men, they are the ones who can pull the coat-tails of the young men and reclaim our communities. Don't minimize and marginalize the importance of the black man in putting our families and neighborhoods back together. Women have and will always hold it down, father or not, but can only do but so much alone.
I appreciate your attempt, Anonymous but you just don't get it. I'm not trying to TAKE anything away from the black man's plight. I get so frustrated by brothers always getting so defensive and paranoid thinking sisters are trying to take something away from them, or belittle or devalue them. I'm not preaching subtraction, here; I'm proposing ADDITION. To put it frankly, we KNOW everything you just stated. It's all we EVER hear, day in and day out; year in and year out. But as you so blankly stated, "Women have and will always hold it down, father or not..." Translation: screw black women's issues. Let me draw an analogy for you: It's like a parent overlooking the needs of a child who gets good grades/ maintains good health/ exhibits good behavior and only pays attention to the needs of the child who if failing in school/ is struck with an illness/ is acting a fool. What you're saying is, black women and girls hold it down and generally don't get out of pocket so there's no need focus on them. Thanks for the back-handed compliment.
I'm further disturbed by you only acknowledging the need to address the needs of fatherless black girls in so much as those little girls develop issues that spill over into their relationships with BLACK MEN- either as signifacant others or as mothers. Now do you see my point? You, and so many others, continue to bring everything back to how it effects black MEN!!
Don't be surprised if you're feeling really agitated by my comments. I don't think many brothers have ever been asked to tweek their perspective in such a way as this.
How in the hamsammich did this go from a post about judgeshows to male/female bashing?
Ya'll take that shit over to MingleCity. This is real talk here.
Juiceman- I will give it to you that this post is off point but I still appreciate Anonymous’ original comment. As far as male/ female bashing- that is NOT what is going on here. I REPEAT- I am NOT trying to emasculate you!!! I am simply asking black men to consider the needs and concerns of black women and girls as WELL as those of black men and boys. How is that “bashing”? It is certainly not sh@t as you claim. I thank you not to belittle an honest and open dialogue. The very fact that you deem this as not "real talk" is furthering my point. What is the deal, guys? You all are POPPING BLOOD VESSELS over the fact that I’m speaking my mind!!
Ya'll can't tell me Tommy "T" wasn't entertaining though. C'mon, lighten up folks!
Post a Comment