Last month while recovering from a debilitating case of influenza, I tuned in to the talk show circuit to see what Ricki Lake, Jenny Jones, and Jerry Springer were up to. Not surprisingly, after viewing these shows over a three-day-interval, I came away with a disturbing conclusion: African-Americans have a tendency to make fools of themselves on national television while the audience cheers them on.

With my remote in hand, I tuned into Jenny Jones. The topic this day was "My Daughter Dresses Like a Hooker." It featured moms who were disgusted with their daughter's wardrobe. The show began with a woman describing to the audience how her teenage daughter likes to strut around in tight dresses and short shorts.

The woman described her daughter as stunning, with a figure tailor-made for sexy clothes. However, a silhouette revealed a body that was more obese than enticing. As the mother went on and on about her gorgeous offspring, I expected to see Halle Berry leap from behind the curtain wearing her trademark evening wear. Ten seconds later, my mouth along with the audience's hung open, when out came this teenager, her blonde weave hanging below her shoulders, and wearing a blue mini that was too small for her full-figured frame.

Tossing her weave, Blondie glared at the audience and gave them the old "don't hate" routine. Then she began the task of transforming herself into a total moron. As the audience laughed and shook their heads, the girl ranted like a parrot on crack. Pointing to a man in the audience, she shouted, "Yea, I may be big, but you want me." To which the man stood up and said, "Why in the hell would I want a beach whale? And while you're gettin' rid of all that blubber, get rid of that nappy weave."

Oh no, I thought, here it comes. At that point Blondie turned into the Exorcist, as she snapped her head, flipped her weave and put a cursing on the brother that he would never forget! Then she ended the tirade by bending over and telling the audience to kiss her behind. As expected, several audience members were laughing so hard; they nearly fell from their seats. Reaching for the remote, I knew it was time to switch channels, which I did in 8 seconds flat.

Two days later I found myself watching the Ricki Lake Show. Her topic was "My Best Friend Dissed Me and I Want to Know Why." Lake, an actress turned talk show host is notorious for inciting guests.

The first set of ex-friends was two young Black women. One of the women who bore a striking resemblance to singer Anita Baker said she and her former pal were once the best of friends, but now they're at each other's throats. I noted that she was articulate and extremely intelligent; or so she seemed. After telling her side of the story, her ex-friend said the reason she was no longer friends with the Anita clone was because she had found a new set of friends. As proof of their prior closeness, the ex-pals argued back and forth, but conducted themselves with dignity. However all that changed when the two new friends came out. The women, who appeared to be in their late 20s stampeded onto the floor like elephants.

After greeting Lake, both women proceeded to dis Anita. What really threw me for a loop was when one of the women went into her home girl persona. Girl friend put her hands up in the air, rolled her head around like a spinning top and called "Anita" a hoe. Five minutes later all four women including the classy "Anita" were calling each other names.

While all this was going on there stood Lake, a smug look on her face, egging the women on as the audience laughed hysterically. Not surprisingly, as the audience was enjoying the circus-like-atmosphere, the White guests presented a different scenario. The former friends though visibly angry, did not criticize each other. And Lake, true to her personality, did not provoke them into verbally attacking each other. That action alone should have signaled to the Blacks on stage and in the audience that something was drastically wrong.

What's wrong is that we continue to let talk show hosts make fools of us. When African-Americans appear on such shows why can't we behave in a way that is reflective of the way people of color really act, rational and discerning. It puzzles me as to why we feel the need to behave like buffoons with no visible signs of intelligence.

In watching the Ricki Lake Show it made me sick to my stomach when I saw these women putting each other down as the audience laughed. Something in me died as I realized they were unaware that they were being used twice. The first was to help Lake get huge ratings. And the second was to entertain the audience. If you don't think what I'm saying is true, check out Lake's show to validate or reject my observation. Oh by the way, if you're interested in seeing Blacks act like the intelligent individuals that we are, tune into The Oprah Winfrey Show. REMEMBER: LAKE-CLOWNS, WINFREY-INTELLECTS. Need I say more?