One More Reason to Skip TV Pretending to be Anything Other Than Entertainment.

Now, the format involves audience questions that were screened and chosen beforehand by CNBC, so guess what it ends up looking like? Various well-dressed CMU finance and economics majors asking questions like “Are unions still relevant when 50% of America doesn’t want them?” and various middle-aged mill workers, completely under dressed, asking things like “I’m a 4th generation steel worker, USW local 1337, and my mill got shut down, I’ve been out of work 15 months, and dey terk r jorbs! Can we take money from rich people and give it to me?”

It was completely re-enforcing a stereotype that may very well be true, but it made it much more a spectacle than an actual, informative discussion.

Steve Klabnik on his recent experience as a political television show audience member.