As if you didn't know already, Dr. Laura's an idiot

Ive listened to Dr. Laura too, although not in a while cause it is sooooo bad, but she does, or did, do what Rocketman95 described. It is kinda like Judge Judy, but you have to be much dumber to call in. On Judge Judy, you know you're going to get yelled at, but you do it anyway because they take care of your claim (for both parties I hear). You call in Dr. Laura, you know youre going to get yelled at and get some bad advice. She is horrific.

------------------
I hope, when they die, cartoon characters have to answer for their sins.

 

I think you guys are missing her point.

She is saying that perhaps the Turrets person could hurt the wedding with an uncontrollable outburst.

There is nothing wrong with trying to make sure that you have a GOOD wedding, and it is OK, IMHO, to ask that the person with this affliction not come to the ceremony, and only attend the reception.

It is THEIR wedding, and you only get married ONCE. It may be offensive to the family, but I think it merits discussion.

DaDakota

------------------
If you like RTS games, check out this one.

www.frontierwars.com

coming soon to a PC near you.

 

I've listened to her a few times and agreed a few times though, most times, not. I think the reason she evokes such anger is twofold:

1. She wasn't always conservative. She is a conservative Jewish woman (not a Christian) who only 15 or 20 years ago converted to ultra-conservatism. A lot of people find it hypocritical for her to be harshly critical of people who are making the same mistakes she made even if you consider them mistakes.

2. As a therapist, she isn't always particularly kind. Ultimately, this is the one I think bugs most people. People call her for advice, sometimes people with serious problems in their lives, but they aren't always treated with kindness. Obviously, you sometimes need to be brutally honest, but there is a time and a place for everything. She could use a lesson in tactfulness.

I listen to Dave Ramsey. Ramsey is a conservative Christian money guy and he will occassionally discuss his faith or espouse a somewhat political view, but mostly he just helps people get out of and stay out of debt. Above all, he is incredibly kind with his callers even if he says things they don't want to hear. I find this to be an incredibly rare and honorable quality - to say what needs to be said in a way that doesn't simply belittle the person you are saying it to.

I don't always agree with his personal beliefs, but his money advice is terrific and he handles people like they were his extended family even with a subject as seemling dry as finance. Dr. Laura should take lessons from him.

------------------
Things do not change; we change. - Henry David Thoreau

 

I really do not understand this.

River, DaDa:

This is a woman's nephew...a member of the family. He belongs there. He is not an invalid, he is not metally challenged.

What if you were asked not to come to a wedding because you are ugly and would mess up the pictures?

This should not even be debated. Wedding ceremonies, at their longest, are...what...1 hour?

Do you realize the odds of him having a severe outburst in such time?

Not only that, but often, the person with TS can temper it slightly.

Let's just treat this person like a pariah, it can only help him with his disability.

Yeah, the issue is only about being "nice" to him. Sure...

Sorry if this seems rude, it is just that this offends me...as I said, I have personal ties.

------------------
I have just realized that the stakes are myself
I have no other
ransom money, nothing to break or barter but my life
my spirit measured out, in bits, spread over
the roulette table, I recoup what I can
nothing else to shove under the nose of the maître de jeu
nothing to thrust out the window, no white flag
this flesh all I have to offer, to make the play with
this immediate head, what it comes up with, my move
as we slither over this go board, stepping always
(we hope) between the lines

 

I agree with rimbaud. I don't see how alienating a member of your family for the sake of a perfect wedding is either respectable or justified.

------------------
Brought to you by the letter M.

 

I'm suprised that people are so up in arms over a radio talk show. It's entertainment, not legitimate phsycho theraphy. People with big problems should go to phsychiatrists and phschologists, not call Dr. Laura and think your problems will dissapear in 30 secs. It's almost the equivalent of considering going on the Jerry Springer show as "therapy". Comon people, lighten up.

Hey RM95, I got your back man. If some one called me out, I'd be seriously ready to bust some ass. Everyone needs a good fight once in a while, and it's been too long since my last.

------------------
"It's like when my mom told me that when you're in the bathroom, don't look left or right, look straight down. That's why I don't mess with anyone's business; I just try not to piss on myself."
-Edgerrin James on his philosohpy of life

 

And make sure not to invite anyone with a baby because babies often make noise. And my mother cried at my wedding, and I found that a bit distracting. We really shouldn't have invited her. And my father in-law had a cough, and that was annoying, too. We should've told him to stay in Albuquerque if he was going to make noise during our perfect day. And that lady who cut her hand during the reception and had to go to the hospital really screwed things up. We shouldn't have invited anyone who was so clumsy. Too bad I didn't have Dr. Laura to make my decisions for me back in 1989 when I got married.

Of course, the reason people are upset is not that she advocated not inviting this kid. People are upset because of the way she advocated not inviting this kid. (And I still think the question should never have come up because people should be able to make a decision like that on their own. If anything, Dr. Laura isn't qualified to make the decision because she knows nothing about the specifics of this child's outbursts and doesn't know the specifics of the person's relationship with the kid and his parents. The kid's parents might be so offended by the unvite that it causes an unnecessary rift. Dr. Laura can't know all of the relationship's dynamics from such a short phone call. No matter what advice she had given, it would've been bad advice because she's working on too little information.)

------------------
Houston Sports Board
Film Dallas.com
AntiBud.com

 

MrPaige,

I have been to several weddings that children were not invited to. My point is valid, it may be crass, but if it is YOUR wedding, you can certainly ask nicely that a person not attend.

Look, why bury your head in the sand, why not just look at it realistically, this person knows the circumstances, we don't. If they are considering NOT asking a nephew to the ceremony it must be a pretty bad affliction.

This in no way invalidates anyone as a person, it is just saying to someone, " I would rather you not come to the ceremony becuase of your affliction, but please come to the reception"

It may be callous, but that is THEIR right. People get so fricken sensitive, just deal with people straight up and none of this matters.

Sheesh !!

DaDakota

------------------
If you like RTS games, check out this one.

www.frontierwars.com

coming soon to a PC near you.

 

DaDakota is probably right. If you're going to be a schmuck before your wedding and after your wedding, may as well be one during the actual ceremony too.

------------------
When this guy started smoking 40 years ago, people had no idea it was bad for you. People had to guess based on the hacking cough, shortness of breath, and bloody phlegm

girl you looks good won't you mock that draft up?!

 

That's fine. But did these people need Dr. Laura to tell them what they can and cannot do at their own wedding? It's not Dr. Laura's wedding we're talking about. It was someone else's wedding. Why should Dr. Laura's opinion about someone else's wedding be anymore valid than mine?

And again, Dr. Laura didn't have to mischaracterize and berate the person with the affliction with her answer.

Dr. Laura gave bad advice. She cannot possibly know the dynamics of the relationships involved or the severity of the kid's affliction. Any advice given when hearing only part of the story is bad advice. And she gave said advice in a way that was insulting to people, and that was certainly unnecessary.

For example, if someone tells me that their son has brain damage, and I say "You should put that r****d in a home." I'm not only not giving good advice (maybe the kid needs to be in a care facility. Maybe he doesn't. I can't know that based on the information given to me), I'm also giving said bad advice in an offensive manner.

That's my problem with the situation. Maybe she's right about not inviting the kid to the wedding. However, if she is right, it's just because she lucked into giving an answer that worked out. Without knowing the entire story (and she didn't), she cannot possibly give an informed opinion and thereby cannot give good advice.

------------------
Houston Sports Board
Film Dallas.com
AntiBud.com

 

I agree with you 100% RM95.

Dr. Laura is a joke.

------------------
.,.·^*'´'|'\..........,.·^*'´¯¯¯'`*^·,...,/|'`*^·-,
'|.......'|::\......,·'.....,.·:*:·,......'`i:'|.......|
'|.......'|:::|.....;.......':,:::,:·.......';:|.......|
'|.......|::;i - ·;i'`:,......¯¯.......,·´|::|.......|
'|.......'´.......'|'i:::`*:~·.–·~^*'´: :'|::|.......'`*·-,
'|........,.-:^:':'\:'`:;:: :: : : : :: ::;·'i::/`':^·.,......`'i
'|..,.:'´:::::::::::'\| '`*^~·:–:·~^*'´..'|/:::::::::'`:^:., |
'´:;:::::::::;:-·^*'´.....................`'*^·:;-.....:;·'
....`·;:·'´........................................'`^·:;·´

 

And another thing. I thought weddings were supposed to be about two people who love each other making a ceremonial committment to each other in the presence of the people they care about.

For my wedding, my wife and I invited all the people we loved. The wedding wasn't about the ceremony itself and how perfect it could be. It was about sharing a very important moment with the people we care about. It never even would've occurred to us to not invite someone because they might make a little noise during the service.

I guess that, to me, it was more important to have my family and my friends (and my new family and my wife's friends) all together for a very important part of my life. If someone had screamed out an obscenity (especially if they couldn't help it), it wouldn't have made my wedding day any less special. I certainly wouldn't have wanted to make my wedding the source of tension between me and one of my family members (I don't think the parents of this kid with tourette's will be understanding. I wouldn't be if my kid had tourette's. Of course, I wouldn't go to the wedding of someone that shallow where the spectacle of the ceremony is more important than the meaning and sharing that moment with loved ones, so it's a moot point for me).

------------------
Houston Sports Board
Film Dallas.com
AntiBud.com

 

I couldn't agree more mrpaige. I eloped in Vegas at 3:45 in the morning, but that's a different topic altogether.

------------------
When this guy started smoking 40 years ago, people had no idea it was bad for you. People had to guess based on the hacking cough, shortness of breath, and bloody phlegm

girl you looks good won't you mock that draft up?!

 

I see the PC Patrol is out. And you complain about conservatives telling you how to live your life. As John Stoessel says, "Give me a break!"

A couple has a right to have their wedding the way they want it.

RM95: if you want to consider yourself a liar, go ahead! I just don't trust your enflamed recollection about something you heard briefly 3 years ago. You are WRONG NOW about what you think you heard THEN. Damn, you "heard" me call you a liar when I didn't. We often hear JUST WHAT WE WANT TO HEAR.

Dr. Laura does not practice therapy. She renders opinions based on a set of beliefs. This is her claim. No therapy is delivered in 5 minutes unless it involves a backrub and then it's never done over the radio. Her style is direct (abrupt even) and does make people think about their choices.

If you can't take it or don't like it, don't tune her in, but FOR GOD's SAKE, don't compromise her right of free speech. You libocrats know what that is, and cherish it, don't you?



------------------
Time is a great teacher-- only problem is it kills all its pupils.

 

Ugh, how old are we? RichRocket, to some it sounded like you called RM95 a liar.

Now can we let it go?

------------------
Brought to you by the letter M.

 

I'm with mrpaige on this one. I think there's something wrong with placing decorum and social niceties over togetherness and unity. This, to me, seems suspiciously like hte old days when disfigured children weren't ever allowed to leave the house. They want their family there because it's an important, family event. Marriages are wonderful - but I think it's a bit silly to think family is so important that you want them to share your joy... but only if htey can do so in a prim and proper way.

I think they're going with image, over the true meaning of the ceremony. Shouldn't it be about love, first? And sharing? Is the wedding truly so brittle that a child's disability can ruin it? I think that's what Dr. Laura should have told them. I think she sounds very shallow.

------------------
Lacking inspiration at the moment...


[This message has been edited by haven (edited June 14, 2001).]

 

RimBaud

I understand you . . .REALLY I DO
I think it is RUDE
I think it is INSENSATIVE
I Think it is WRONG

I think [though this is off topic]
PEOPLE HAVE THE RIGHT TO BE SHALLOW
THE RIGHT TO BE PRICKS
THE RIGHT TO BE *SSHOLES

The right to be selfish
[all this not in the law sense but the moral sense]

Rimbaud it is easy to say they SHOULD GET OVER IT
but . . . . .you really won't have to live
in their shoes after it.

Rocket River

------------------