A View on "The View"

"The View" is one of those shows that the internet loves to get snippy about. Oh, they're just a bunch of bickering old biddies who don't know anything. And someone will inevitably bring up Sherri Shepherd's anti-evolution stance, or Elizabeth Hasselbeck's right-wing leanings and lack of credentials, or Whoopi Goldberg's unfortunate defense of Roman Polanski, or anything involving Rosie O'Donnell. "The View" inevitably gets lumped in with the worst of daytime talk shows, and if you do find someone who admits to enjoying the program, it's usually with the caveat that "The View" was so much better when Meredith Viera was the moderator, or they wish Barbara Walters would be more involved. And now that a major source of that drama, Joy Behar is leaving "The View," and provocative Elizabeth Hasselbeck may be out the door next, the the major sentiment seems to be, good riddance. I don't think either of them or the show deserves that.

I haven't been a regular viewer of "The View" for several years now, but I always liked it, or at least appreciated its aims. Yes, Hasselbeck would get on my nerves because she and I have diametrically opposed views on social issues, and some of the discussion topics weren't addressed nearly as well as they could have been if more informed and more thoughtful panelists had been participating. However, "The View" is only occasionally a serious forum for serious issues. Mostly it's a typical chat show, meant to cater to a particular female demographic. However, it does successfully reflect how a broad range of political and social stances manage to coexist with each other in this country. And several headline-grabbing blow-ups over the years would attest to them often not coexisting very well. On the subject of gay marriage, for instance, the regular panelists are split right down the middle, with Whoopi Goldberg and Joy Behar on one side, and Sherri Shepherd and Elizabeth Hasselbeck on the other. Like it or not, this is fairly close to how the American public is actually split on the issue.

With the way the cable networks have declared sides ideologically, the American culture has polarized, and it's easy to draw lines and automatically discount the other side. That's something that you can't do on "The View." The current lineup has been in place since 2007, when Rosie O'Donnell had her spectacular flameout, and Whoopi Goldberg was recruited to fill her seat. This resulted in a terrific ongoing tension between the panelists on the left and the ones on the right ever since, who bring all their biases to the table and often struggle with reconciling their different worldviews. I'm sure that many audience members watch the show for this very reason, because it is one of the few places on television where you do get everybody on equal footing, and with five very outspoken women, nobody consistently dominates the conversation. More than that, "The View" provides a forum for women to discuss subjects that you don't normally get to hear anywhere else. I like that they talk about politics in particular, a subject that Oprah Winfrey and Ellen Degeneres have always been careful to avoid.

I think the show works because whatever you want to say about the panelists' more controversial opinions, it's clear that they're genuine. The discussions can become very personal and emotions can run high. And why shouldn't they? When tackling hot-button issues, personal experience often does play heavily into the controversy, and sometimes erudite conversation just isn't enough. It's easy to make fun of "The View" when the blow-ups happen, but once in a while it can really hit a nerve in a way that even the most serious news programs can't, because the hosts come across as such ordinary women, despite being famous, and their own experiences bring an invaluable context to their discussions. I like all of the current panelists, even Hasselbeck, because even if the whole room's against her she doesn't back down very easily, and there is a good chunk of America that thinks exactly the way she does. The show's been better for having her, and if she departs with Behar it will be a real loss.

Now where is "The View" going to go in the future? That's going to depend entirely on who they manage to recruit next. I can see the show devolving into the kind of fluff and triviality that they already depend on pretty heavily, like the reality show segments and the celebrity gossip. On the other hand, the pendulum could just as easily swing in the other direction. I think another comedienne should replace Behar. Or maybe they should aim a little younger and nab a twenty-something to start courting the "Girls" generation. "The View" has been on the air for over fifteen years now, and it's amassed so much cultural clout that no matter what the naysayers think, I don't see it going anywhere.
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