I’m looking for a good compendium of the hateful and/or condescending things Dr. Phil has spouted forth, and Google is not cooperating with my fumbling efforts.
I’ve heard snippets here and there, and have formed a good picture of him as a condescending ass, but there has to be a compiled list somewhere on the net…
http://www.mangydog.com/games/drphil.php has the generator for quotes. Nothing actual to report.
Since being ill sincerely lowers my TV watching standards, I’ve just watched one episode. And in all honesty, he doesn’t seem so bad. Of course it is just one episode, so it may be a bit early for a conclusion.
However, my impression is that he certainly does more good than harm. Sure, (again, conclusions from one episode!) he’s not afraid to promote himself, or his book and videotape. He’s got a stay-at-home wife, but they’re both not of my generation so I’m not going to say much about that without evidence that it’s a bad thing necessarily. Also very clear to me was that he talked extensively with his guests before the actual recording, and he gives the impression that it doesn’t end there, which I will believe until proven otherwise.
I dropped in on a couple in which the husband appeared to be a know-it-all little führer with a bad role model (one of the indications that Phil had done at least some preparation) and the wife was, partly through trouble with unhappy kids it seems, starting to get fed up with her enabler role. A clear cut, easy case, but also recogniseable. Then there was a four-breasted woman (i.e. someone who didn’t fit into HH) and although he did address some of the psychological issues (very much like those that were addressed through Rene in Ally McBeal), he recruited a cosmetic surgeon for her. Her case (chronic backpains and what not) would have been covered by our (yes, universal) healthcare system, but she couldn’t afford it (10.000 bucks!).
Unless I’m mistaken, I think there was a nice bit of reverse psychology there. I’m not fully sure if it will discourage girls to get bigger breasts, but it just might. It certainly beats a program like ‘Date my mom’ that followed it immediately, which I think should be illegal.
Finally, there was a mom who wrote that her son was asking all these difficult questions that kids ask. I missed some of it while I tuned out during a commercial break, but basically I think he answered that it helps to feel more in control of such issues if you at least have the impression you can do something about it, and in fact you can. Then we saw footage of Phil playing tennis for a Katrina fundraiser with famous tennis players, ending with Bush Sr. saying that he was very happy to work with Bill Clinton, even if sometimes people call them the odd-couple.
So, while I know TV is all about appearances and I’m sure Phil knows that also, appearances being all I have, can anyone fill me in on what I don’t know?