I wouldn't be so sure that watching Jerry Springer to find out about "American culture" would necessarily be a joke - I suspedct it's just the kind of thing a cultural antropoogist would home in on. Like buying the Sun to find out about English culture. Though that's a couple of steps lower even than Mr Springer.

Incidentally, has Jerry Springer endorsed anybody for President?

I suspect that one of the things that people running campaigns do is chase around trying to drum up damaging endorsements for the other side.