Dr. Phil is a Media Whore

What the hell is wrong with Dr. Phil?  If I ever need a psychiatrist to come and help me -remind me to run away from this clown. 

At 7 o’clock every weekday – all the stations drag up their celebrity news shows.  As I flipped through the channels, Dr. Phil kept coming up again and again.  My thoughts immediately shifted to the only possible reason he could be on the news so much (He’s pregnant).  No… he’s without child sadly, but what he has done is he’s visited Britney Spears in the hospital and is now talking about it… non-stop to anyone with ears (and eyes for those reading his crap on the Internet/periodicals).

What kind of doctor seriously visits a patient and then turns around to tell the world that the person he was speaking to has serious psychological issues and should seek further medical assistance?   The lack of tact and integrity is mind-boggling.  He’s everywhere.  It’s like he’s promoting a book, but he’s not promoting a book – he’s promoting himself as the caring doctor… Dr. Phil – celebrity psychologist 

Let’s see what the good Doctor has to say about his practices:

“My goal was, and is, to hopefully guide her toward a private intervention, hopefully a long way from Los Angeles, and it won’t be done by me because I don’t see people privately and individually.”

Nope – Dr. Phil just sees people publicly with lots of peoplearound to watch and judge.  At least he doesn’t lie about it.  When it comes to real healing – it’s someone else’s problem – he just exploits the situation. 

Man, this is sad and disturbing…

JJRC

Sometimes I hate People

Don’t get me wrong.  I don’t hate Americans.  America is the land that brought rise to a great wealth of opportunity (for most, but not all).  It is where my parents met.  It is where I grew up and went to school.  I am an American, but sometimes, don’t you just hate other people in America?  

Here is a short list of the things that are still floating around that piss me off.  A friend of mine once said that I was more likely to hate something than love it.   It’s me in a nutshell I suppose, but I enjoy things, and regularly someones runs over and ruins it for me.  Here are some examples:

1 – Borat:

This movie was hysterical.   I haven’t laughed harder at a movie since.  The theater was alive with participation the night we went to see it.  People climbed in and watched.  They then began to yell, and it all came to a nice quiet end and we left raving about the movie. 

Now, let’s flash forward 12 months later.  It is now 2007.  Why do I still hear the word “vagine” and other tired catchphrases?  People, please let it go.  There’s only so many times you can say, “Very nice – how much?” before it stops being remotely funny.  If you are still saying these things – you have most likely exceeded your “Very nice- how much?” limit.

2 – People on Reality Television:

At its conception, the Real World was an interesting show.  What do young people care about?  I mean, you basically watched people live their lives, and you realized they were boring – almost as boring as you.  But, then you realize you’re watching them be boring – how does that reflect on you?

Now, the Real World has not only spawned hundreds of other reality shows, but the Real World has reduced itself to a mindless fuck-fest.  The people are no longer average Joe’s, but ultra glamorized men and women who drink excessively and hook-up.  When I was in college, our lives didn’t resemble a massive shit-show that ended in someone getting kicked out of school.  Somehow, I think the Real World has lost touch with reality and should consider renaming itself the Shit-Show (Enter City name Here). 

While we’re at it – the city stopped mattering years ago.  They could be in the depths of hell, and honestly, it will most likely remain the same show.  As long as there’s a hot tub available, nothing will change.

3 “Back door!/Can you move into the center of the car, please?!”

Are these things a New York thing?  I hope posting them here doesn’t start a mass epidemic around the globe.  I doubt I’m that important, but you never know with this Internet stuff.  Back Door and it’s evil, uglier sister, Can you move…, are probably the worst phrases uttered in New York.  Let’s begin with “Back Door.”  If you’ve ever ridden the bus, you will notice these people that refuse to push the tape to open the doors.  Instead, these a-holes push on the window and scream as if they’re being assaulted by the doors.  “BACK DOOR!”  Then you have the peanut gallery chime in – “She wants that back door!”  Meanwhile – more level-headed people are sitting there thinking – “Push the fucking tape, bitch.”

“Can you move in please” is much worse.  In this case – you are stuffed between someone getting on and a larger hairier man.  The jerk is insisting he fits.  “There’s space in the center there.  Move in, please!”  Of course, I’ll move in when I learn to walk through people.  Honestly, give up.  Wait for the next train.  If it is obvious you won’t be making the train – get out and let us luckier people go ahead and be on time for work.  No, Dickhead insists on climbing in – smacking everyone with his brief case.  He becomes the most hated person in the general area.

Wonder what will be the next thing to randomly pop up and start pissing me off.  Maybe, I’ll  catch myself saying “BACK DOOR!!!” and will be filled with self-loathing.  Only time will tell.

JJRC

Leave Britney Alone!!!

Britney Spears is the talk of the town these days.  The woman can’t go outside without being photographed.  The five second rule hasn’t applied to her for years – if she ever dropped food – someone would photograph her picking it up and eating it.  Anyone could easily claim it was on the floor for 6 seconds – making it disgusting.  My thought is if the woman wants to go barefoot into public restrooms – let her.  It’s not like the plantar’s warts she gets is your problem.  Only if their image makes them onto your TV.  It’s liable to happen TMZ is on TV these days – so watch out.

I was talking to a friend on Saturday night, and we discussed parasitic relationships (that is a different post). It applies here. This relationship the paparazzi has with her benefits both of them. She’s much like that fish thing that hangs out on sharks – or is it vice versa? The paparazzi love Britney Spears. Britney Spears loves them right back. It’s a match made in heaven. She would probably never leave her house if people weren’t watching her every move, and her Starbuck’s skim mochachino iced venti latte would probably taste like a Dunkin Donut’s Coolatta if people weren’t gawking at her and watching carefully. If she wanted to not be photographed – she would just act normal for Christ’s sake. Even Michael Jackson doesn’t photographed this much – and he’s actually weird… freakishly weird. Britney Spears is not weird – she just lacks some sense. People without sense run around smacking people with umbrellas… and if Britney Spears were weird – she would have been wearing some ridiculous outfit (perhaps a onesie). She’s just letting her fame get the best of her. Sadly, dealing with fame is not a course they teach in school – if they did she would fail… while Michael Jackson would be borderline with a D.

Ultimately – it’s all your fault we care about Britney Spears.  She’s everywhere because we want her to be.  If not – she’d fall into obscurity like… those people who I can’t recall because they’re so obscure.  God knows her music isn’t all that great.  Her voice isn’t terribly memorable.  She’s not the prettiest woman on earth.  In essence – she’s a good performer, but she’s seemed to have lost her touch.  Does knowing that she spends $700,000 a month on random garbage end wars or cure diseases?  No, it doesn’t.  It’s time to reassess our situation.  So please, leave Britney alone.  Let’s get real.

JJRC

And I swear

I swear too much.  If my mother could hear me on a daily basis – she’d probably have to slap me more times than I could count.  Every other word is a swear.  Oddly enough, I haven’t really gotten into that habit when I write.  It’s a good thing.  I’m sure having the word “fuck” or “shit” show up on an academic paper would probably be a suicide of sorts.  I recall one instance where I saved a paper “This piece of Shit for Falk” and didn’t think anything of it.  I went to the library to print it out and handed it in.  Apparently when you print at the library – the name of the document is saved at the top…. Needless to say – the name of the paper was indeed accurate and I received the grade a piece of shit would get from Falk.

But somehow, it has become a way of life for me.  Everyone around me does it (even my family – they swear in Spanish).  At my previous job, everyone swore about everything.  In crisis mode, everything became shits and fucks.  Currently at my new job, you get the flare ups of activity where swear words just go with the theme of the day.  Driver’s licenses are not being given to immigrants (fuck!!!).

How is it that these words exist in our society? In a society where commercials are turning into soft core porn, you would think we would have less sensitivity to words.  Why is turd so much better than shit anyway?  And how come the word “fuck”is so versatile, but it goes unused by so many people.  Looking at the statement “that was great.”  You learn something was great.  Now, look at “That was fucking great!”  You even get an exclamation point in there.  Whatever “that” is, it was great^2. It wasn’t just great – it was undesirably great – it was fucking great. The fuck is like x in math.  What is x?  You have to figure it out.   It exists… but we don’t quite know what it is.  It’s the fill in for a thing we don’t know.  “X” is the fuck of the math world.  

Back to my point – I think we should loosen up.  They are just words.  If I started a trend that Guntas was a dirty word meaning a woman’s vagina – how long would it take for it to be banned on television? 

How the fuck would anyone know?

 JJRC

The American Media – and Virginia Tech

I am greatly opposed to the American Media.  It’s just really a big circus that doesn’t allow anyone to sleep easy.  The things they choose to cover are arbitrary.  For example, wasn’t Imus racist and loud about it before the Rutgers Team lost the championship?  The answer is yes.  But for some reason, “Nappy Headed Ho” is the straw that broke the camel’s back.  Far worse things are said about other people on TV, but Imus lost his job and the masses rejoiced (except for the racists who don’t see why he should be fired – or those who cite precedent of previous comments – or fans I suppose).  I didn’t even know who he was until this blew up – so I’m not really a good source on Imus.  But the media is now going to forget about him – he’s no longer the “bad guy.”

The media has now moved on to a greater, more compelling story.  The Virginia Tech Shooting was a great tragedy, but it’s not being treated as such.  It’s become a parade of insensitive assholes showing up on campus and interviewing any person that walks by.  It’s a ratings grabber and people networks will work on getting exclusive footage and accounts.  NBC received a package and handed it to the FBI, but not before making copies to display on the news.  Now, those images circulate the net and printed news.  It didn’t need to be publicized.  They could have respect for the dead, but it’s money in the bank.

Media now swarm the Virginia Tech campus, and people will be stopped on the street to be asked questions.  Of course, people want to be on television, and the mere act of being on that campus on Monday will make you a prime candidate to talk on the subject.  You don’t need to be a survivor, a relative or witness – you just need to be there.  With 25,000 kids on campus – there’s no doubt someone will fuel this media circus.

The gunman’s identity is also coming to light.  We know his name, and now we are familiar with his face.  People are asking VT students – what was he like? Does this surprise you?  Did you know it was him before you knew who it was?  “Yes, he was creepy – now that you mention it he was a little anti-social.  I’m not surprised.”  Hindsight is 20/20.  If the campus was flooded with media before this happened – and someone was asked who was capable of being a killer – would his name have come up as often as it does?  Do these interviews prompt people to say what the reporter wants to hear?  It’s ridiculous to assume people on the street who met him once would know he was troubled.

He is demonized by the media.  His picture appears everywhere.  There are no shots of him and his family.  There are no pictures of him smiling.  What we are conditioned to forget was that he was human, and that he did have problems that may have been resolvable.   It didn’t have to come to this, but it did.  Now, he is survived by his family who must see their relative’s picture everywhere.  His mother and father must tire of seeing their son like this, and my prayers go out to them - along with the families of the victims – but they’re  victims too.  His family is suffering, but no one mentions and respects them. Their son was a murderer, and for this, they will pay a heavy price.  They are free of guilt, but from Monday until their last breath, they will carry the burden of their son’s actions.  Coverage is important, but respect should be the top priority.

 JJRC