Today, a growing lack of shame permeates our society, especially in
             the media. Postman notes, "The point is, simply, that without a well-
             developed idea of shame, childhood cannot exist" (Postman 9). Shame, and
             the resulting embarrassment over shameful behavior, has nearly disappeared
             in our society. Postman continues, "With the gradual decline of shame,
             there is, of course, a corresponding diminution in the significance of
             manners" (Postman 88). Manners create courtesy and social interaction in
             our culture, but as Americans and their children interact increasingly only
             with media such as television, the need for manners and social interaction
             diminishes. Because shame is not as customary in society, shame is no
             longer a societal building block for civilized behavior. A good example of
             this analogy is the prevalence of "confessional" or "shock" talk shows that
             encourage guests to bare their souls on national television. Television
             has indeed become the "total disclosure medium," and because of this,
             Americans and their children are quite used to seeing guests on such shows
             as Jerry Springer tell their nastiest secrets for all the world to hear.
             Topics such as teenage pregnancy, adultery, even incest and violence are
             discussed as if they were the most normal everyday events on these shows,
             and it cannot help but affect those who watch these shows, especially
             children and regular viewers. They more they view these shows, they more
             they believe this type of deviant behavior is acceptable and even normal.
             This affects childhood in many ways. Children grow up seeing these
             people on television who seem normal, and they might even seem like the
             people next door. Children no longer understand that some topics are
             taboo, or are shameful, and they do not understand the concept of shame.
             This is not to imply that a family's problems should be swept under the rug
             or ignored,...