I was ranting to a coworker about this to the point of unintelligiblity, so rather than continue to froth at the mouth I have come here to vent my spleen.
Dr. Phil is an asshole. Not just a mildly unpleasant individual, but a dyed-in-the-wool class-A asshole. This is made worse by the fact that he (and apparently the rest of the world) think he is doing good. He isn't. That is because he is a complete asshole.
I was hard pressed to find a single good thing to say about the man. I thought about pointing out his baldness as some sort of positive, but that would have been disingenuous of me. Then upon greater reflection it occurred to me that occasionally he advises his victims to tell the assholes in their life to sod off. So there, his one virtue, advising idiots when to tell assholes to get fucked.
Of course this message never really sinks through the thick cranial carapaces of the Philophiles. If it were so, then they would promptly tell that pompous windbag to stuff it.
All he ever does it get people to say outloud what they already know, then he makes some kind of sweeping generalization about their situation as if that is any sort of constructive approach. Worse is how he deprives them of their own ability to analyze and cope with the situation on their own (and by extension everyone in the viewing audience).
What we have is a self righteous asshole with pre-packaged idiocy for the masses. He instructs people not to think for themselves, rather to subscribe to his way of thinking. He doesn't promote free thought, he drains it of power, replacing fresh ideas with rituals and coping mechanisms which lock people into a self destructive social paradigm.
But then again, they are all just cabbages, so fuck them. They deserve it for not seeing what a fraud Dr. Phil really is.
I have tried to support an oddball theory that Dr. Phil is doing some kind of grand mindfuck, but in reverse. His goal is to trap people in the cabbage state instead of illuminating them. Then I rejected that theory simply because...
... he is an asshole.
You= 10/10
Hrrm. Sometimes he DOES hit people with the 2x4 of common sense when they deserve it. And, sometimes being an Asshole can be a good thing.
But, yeah, I agree with you in a general sort of way.
I think there's a valid purpose to telling someone what they already know.
I mean, obviously learning how to trust yourself is a valuable skill and I wouldn't begrudge anybody the opportunity to learn how. But when you're at that point where you're pretty sure you're fucked up, and you think you know what to do, that thinking-you-know is immediately tempered by the belief that you're fucked up, so how are you to be sure that you really know what to do?
Yes, the glaring obvious missed thing is that everybody is fucked up, but that's not often something that occurs to somebody who's in that place. I still get self-conscious at the gym even though I know ain't nobody there trying to mack on people - they're all too wrapped up in getting their exercise in for the day.
who is dr phil?
tip-of-the-day: DO NOT WATCH TV
i had the fortune that mine broke down about five years ago and being the lazy ass i am, i still hadn't repaired it or got a new one within a month or two, which is the time-period when the detox-effect starts becoming noticeable. it kinda feels like removing that little piece of meat that's been between your teeth all day.
..wasn't dr phil oprahs sidekick or something?
Wow, Triple Ought, I thought I was the only one who never watches TV.
Ok, I do tune into the Sci-Fi channel occasionally but only for Firefly and now Dr. Who (and I'm not so sure I like the new Dr. Who yet).
And yes, Dr. Phil is one of Oprah's domesticated animals. She just keeps him in a bigger kennel now.
The point I was trying to make, and to which DJRubberducky mentioned, is that this
QuoteYes, the glaring obvious missed thing is that everybody is fucked up, but that's not often something that occurs to somebody who's in that place.
Dr. Phil is not a solution to the problem. He is part of it. He is, in fact, a Greyface. A saint of insufficient illumination, if you will. Because he is so deeply entrenched in his world view, he fails to see the bigger picture and how happiness can be achieved outside his preconceived notions. None of his victims will ever be able to perform even a minor mindfuck, such thoughts would never occur to him or them.
While it might be noble to bludgeon cabbages with the Honest Truth now and again, sometimes even having a bit of it stick in their craniums, such endeavors rarely bear fruit. However, Dr. Phil isn't swinging the Honest Truth. His bat is an aneristic fuck stick with which he sodomizes his unfortunate victims (although they seem to enjoy this, go figure). He wields a weapon of control. He even admits it. Listen to him some time.
Or better yet, don't.....
Quote from: Random ProbabilityWow, Triple Ought, I thought I was the only one who never watches TV.
Nope, you not the only one. I don't watch TV, either, because teleision killed my marriage. I used to resent this, but now I'm grateful - only not yet grateful enough to sign up for cable.
I know who Dr Phil is, but I don't think I've ever seen him in action.
Quote from: SssBella, Oracle of DoomQuote from: Random ProbabilityWow, Triple Ought, I thought I was the only one who never watches TV.
Nope, you not the only one. I don't watch TV, either, because teleision killed my marriage. I used to resent this, but now I'm grateful - only not yet grateful enough to sign up for cable.
I know who Dr Phil is, but I don't think I've ever seen him in action.
Hes just like John Edwards, 'cept for the title "doctor". 8)
My grandfather and a lot of my friends' parents watch Dr. Phil compulsively. Poor masochists...
There's really nothing worth watching on TV anymore, except for a few things on the Sci-Fi channel (old stuff mostly, and vampire movies...) All the shows that were ever worth watching on any other network have been cancelled and replaced by drivel.
Dr. Phil = complete douche bag that retreads rely upon to tell them what is wrong with them. If Dr. Phil really cared about humanity he would instruct these people to kill themselves.
EOT
Quote from: Random ProbabilityHowever, Dr. Phil isn't swinging the Honest Truth. His bat is an aneristic fuck stick with which he sodomizes his unfortunate victims
I think I love you.
I tend to watch food network, history channel, history international, discovery channel, discovery health, and rarely the science channel. And anything else in that vein I may have missed.
I might watch the occasional movie on IFC...beyond that the only other TV I watch is durring dinner with the family. Not that we really watch TV (typically Seinfeld) most of the time, we actually talk.
Beyond that, I'm doing homework, playing on the computer (very limited...games have become very empty to me lately), or reading a book.
The world at once feels empty and full.
Very confused.
Dr. Phil = fake counselor/therapist who just wants to be at the center of attention, much like Oprah, except she doesn't pretend to be a doctor.
Quote from: Machine Grind DreamDr. Phil = complete douche bag that retreads rely upon to tell them what is wrong with them. If Dr. Phil really cared about humanity he would instruct these people to kill themselves.
EOT
OMG, I so want your baby!!
Sorry, this one is reserved. If you want me to impregnate you it won't be cheap and you'll need to fill out a series of forms.