Boo-Yah!

My sons and I enjoy Jim Cramer’s stock market tip TV show “Mad Money,” partly because we have some (small) investments, and also because of the interesting general content.

Jim Cramer was more reflective last week as he hit his 500th episode. On the “Father’s Day” special on Thursday, he set aside his blunt exterior to melt a bit as he introduced his own dad, and he almost shed a tear as he talked with Tim Russert and his son about the value of the father / son relationship.

He commented that he has lost 25 pounds since starting the show. If you watch it, you can easily see why. He is constantly in motion, yelling, jumping, hitting his sound buttons, playing with a myriad of props, and throwing around his books and anything else he can lay his hands on. To emphasize a good or bad stock he will unleash graphic cartoon images of either growling bears or bellowing bulls. He races through his show, excitedly explaining some stock picks, and then onto his other segments: phone calls from viewers, the “Lighting Round,” “Sudden Death,” “Mad Mail,” and sometimes even “Eating Crow,” or “Standing Corrected.”

Having made his own millions, and as he says, helped the rich get even richer, he is now turning his attention to helping the little guy. A nice change! And he doesn’t just have specific stock picks, but much information about the market and the world in general. He infuses his explanations with tidbits of knowledge from literature, history, and pop culture. Watch the show for one minute, you might think he is just nuts; watch for one week, and you see just how smart he is.

After watching the show for a while, you'll not only know much more about stocks and the economy, but also be into a whole new manic language. For example you'll know that “Sudden Death” is a "boo-yah free zone"!

I’m convinced that Cramer is onto something here - maybe even the future of teaching and learning in our media age. (Especially – perhaps - for men?) As he says, his crazy antics are to keep the audience’s interest in what could be a dry subject. His mantra: “My job is not just to entertain you, but to educate you.”

We watch Cramer on CNBC. We have also enjoyed two of his books: Jim Cramer's Mad Money: Watch TV, Get Richand Confessions of a Street Addict.

If you want both entertainment and education, stick with Cramer!