Rob Long on the Thighmaster Paradox
"Only a fool would bet against the success of these shows. Oprah did not get immensely rich by accident. She knows what people like to watch. More important, she knows what people like to feel when they watch. We want to feel good, about ourselves and our neighbors. We want to feel good about the power of a remodeled kitchen. "Mostly, though, we want to watch. Actual, real charity work -- as opposed to actual, reality-television charity work -- involves a certain amount of bleakness, the risk of an unhappy ending, an occasional lack of gratitude from the recipient, uncomfortable encounters with poor hygiene and a lot of guilt. In other words, a lot of things that would make for a really terrible television show."