Due to her recent confusion about historical time lines and the world being flat, The View co-host Sherri Shepherd has been blasted and made fun of. Commentators and critics are questioning her level of intelligence through blogs, YouTube and newspaper articles. However, I say that these boo-boos are part of her appeal and what make her a true American.
When Sherri Shepherd first began to fill in as guest host on The View, I was admittedly happy to see that Barbara Walters kept her panel of women diverse. Plus, I remember Ms. Shepherd from days of yore when she played a recurring role on the Jamie Foxx Show. She was always funny and played her part perfectly. However, I wondered what she'd bring to The View.
Unlike the prior African-American co-host Starr Jones-Reynolds, Sherri Shepherd didn't have a law degree, plus she was less assertive and confrontational with her ideas. So, I thought she'd bring in a bit of humor and a different slice of minority life. However, then I heard the angle was going to be all about her recent divorce. Yet, after watching a few shows, it's really not about that at all. Despite her self, Sherri really represents the average American.
Ms. Shepherd brings a level of down-home, girl-next-door flavor to The View that the other co-hosts can't bring by virtue of their personality and lifestyle. She's a real woman with real-life problems that include a failed marriage and a child with a disability. And, like many of us, she relies on her faith in God to get her through the day. So she is someone you could actually imagine as a friend, relative or neighbor. Then, like most of us, she's not necessarily up on all of the facts.
What cracked me up about so many media venues attacking Sherri Shepherd's ignorance about the shape of the earth and what did or didn't come before Christ (BC) is that Americans are notorious for their lack of knowledge regarding geography and history. Ask any school teacher. So her responses to certain questions on the shows - although wrong - are ones that many of us might make if under a lot of pressure and in front of millions of people. Sherri Shepherd clearly represents the average Jane or Joe of America who just happens to be on TV.
So the next time one of The View co-hosts asks her a question and she flubs up, remember one thing. Sherri is a regular woman who'll embarrass herself from time to time like most of us would if we were being questioned by intimidating people like Whoopi, Joy Behar and Barbara Walters. So will have to give Ms. Shepherd a break hear and there and understand that she is truly one of us.
