Since you don’t watch, it makes sense that your opinion bears no relationship to the reality.
If you really paid any attention, you’d quickly learn that he most emphatically does not offer psychobabble, and speaks witheringly of it. His folksy sayings are amusing, they are not a subsitute for substance, which he offers alongside them.
If you really feel that you’ve got him all figured out, I’d be very interested to hear an example from you of a someone who has come on his show and received advice from him who would have been a good example of how wrong he is. Or do you not really know or believe he’s full of shit, you just find that his personality rubs you the wrong way? (Which is perfectly valid, I just dislike seeing misinformation spread.)
When he started on Oprah, I did watch. Several times. Mostly because all these people were saying how wonderful he is. I didn’t see it. In one show, he was basically arguing with a man and I didn’t feel that he let the man adequately explain himself. Then, he went on “treating” the couple’s problem, applauded wildly by the audience, and I kept seeing a look of total frustration on the man’s face. I think he just gave up in front of the powerful Oprah, Phil, Oprah’s audience juggernaut. Sure, that’s what I read into it. And sorry, I don’t have a cite to point you to, just my own recollection of one Oprah show among many.
I think I stated my biggest gripe in the non swearing part of my OP:
Actually, it’s interesting you should return to exactly that, since I was going to address that.
What we see on TV is five minutes. In fact, they do hours and hours of interviews with these people, their families and friends. For each guest, they have a 60 to 80 page workbook of material that goes into great depth. In cases of serious problems like eating disorders and parental abuse (verbal), they are providing, free of charge, follow up care from professional psychotherapists. They are remarkably responsible in the way they handle their guests and their problems.
Which is miles more than one could say about Dr. Laura, for instance.
Phil McGraw can certainly be legitimately accused of being a bit abrasive. And his style is aboslutely a matter of personal taste. But when it comes to self-help-as-entertainment and whether there is value, he is without peer. The man knows his stuff backwards and forwards, and his point of view is terrific.
Personally, I’m thrilled he’s having such success, and I just hope he’s getting through to people, because what he has to say can do most people nothing but good.
I will concede that this may be true. (But I wonder just how you know…) If so, then “Bully for them!” (Free of charge? really? huh! How about that.) That does paint somewhat of a different picture.
As for his particular style, I find it grating. And treating problems in front of an audience seems like it would lose some of its effectiveness, since they are (perhaps) “putting on a show.” Does it?
As for Dr. Laura, well, see my OP. She’s not as annoying, style wise. But, I don’t see that that entire genre of shows is actually helpful. Whether on TV or radio. Color me a skeptic, that’s my take.
Other’s people’s problems as entertainment is not entertainment to me.
And I know because I am a huge fan of his, in case that wasn’t obvious. I watch the show almost every day, I watched him regularly on Oprah, and I’ve read a couple of his books. (Tried the last, didn’t care for it. The first one was absolutely fantastic, however. Oughta be required reading for everybody.)
My fandom is not a result of my feeling he has offered me some great new information I never had before. Being a longtime student of “self-help” and having had many years of therapy, that’s not likely to happen. I’m a fan because I find him very entertaining and because I love seeing what I believe to be the truth put out there to a large audience.
You don’t need broken fingers to staple your lips together.
I think those are words to live by: violent, disturbing, machine-generated, and completely random.
Don’t like your boss? Remember that him not breaking your fingers isn’t stopping you from performing bizarre, pointless acts of self-mutilation.
Got a fifty-dollar-a-day gopher porn habit? Never forget that even if Vinnie “The Squid” Dagoomba breaks both your kneecaps, you can still silence your screams forever, massive digital damage or no.
Besides, chickenwalking suits you. It goes with your neck.
