Dr. Phil recently paid Britney Spears a visit in her hospital room following her very public meltdown, spurred by officials showing up at her house to yet again take custody of her children. Dr. Phil originally intended to air his visit with Britney on his show, but has since reconsidered. Here's his statement regarding the matter, straight from his own website:
"As was widely reported this weekend, at the request of concerned family members, I visited Britney Spears in the hospital. The details of that visit will, of course, remain private. We had planned to tape a Dr. Phil Now show today, focusing not on the tabloid side of Britney’s latest problems, but instead on the very serious issues surrounding this case. Clearly, it is not just Britney's family struggling to find a way to protect adult children who cannot be ordered or compelled to seek help. Because the Spears situation is too intense at this time, and out of consideration to the family, I have made the decision not to move forward with the taping at this particular time. Britney and her family are in our prayers, and we ask that they be in yours."
What a load of crap.
I'm going to go out on a limb and guess that there are thousands of young women out there with exactly the same symptoms of mental illness that Britney Spears exhibits. There might even by tens of thousands.
But there's only one Britney Spears. And between the nameless thousands and her, who consistently earns tabloid ratings based on her bizarre parenting and personal behavior?
The truth is, Dr. Phil could snap his fingers and instantly produce ten women with the exact same problems as Britney. He could put any average Joette on his show and "help" them. Would the airing of their problems earn the ratings that Britney's could? Of course not. Britney's rating potential is the real prize here. Dr. Phil's main priority isn't to help Britney, it's to help himself to a huge ratings spike for his show. The real story here isn't Britney Spears; it's yet another media outlet seeking to take advantage of her woes for their own self-aggrandizement. I don't think Dr. Phil cancelled plans for the show out of consideration for Britney's welfare, but instead in response to the public outcry at his meddling opportunism. Truly, if he really intended to help her, he would never have planned to air the session in the first place.
I've always thought Dr. Phil walked a fine line between helping people with their problems and exploiting people with their problems. To be honest, I think he's been in the latter category all along. I don't think you can genuinely help someone with millions of people watching on. I think the setting and the cameras and the host's agenda circumvent any authentic treatment. But people take voyeuristic pleasure in watching the dysfunction of others. It comforts us to see that someone else is waaaay more messed up than we are.
We are all painfully aware of Britney Spear's struggle with . . . well, I'm not completely sure what the hell her problem is, but she long ago stopped being entertaining and is now well into the realm of the pathetic. I once joined the chorus of onlookers who scoffed and snorted at reports of shaved heads, revealed private parts, and late-night drinking sprees. I think my first hint that maybe all this wasn't too funny is when she started driving around with her kid in the front seat; I think it's fine if she behaves stupidly at her own risk, but that's not the case with a little one that can't advocate for his own safety.
But those taking shots at her now need to move on to someone that isn't so seriously ill and those taping the whole thing need to ask themselves if they're comfortable taking advantage of someone so clearly unable to defend herself.
"As was widely reported this weekend, at the request of concerned family members, I visited Britney Spears in the hospital. The details of that visit will, of course, remain private. We had planned to tape a Dr. Phil Now show today, focusing not on the tabloid side of Britney’s latest problems, but instead on the very serious issues surrounding this case. Clearly, it is not just Britney's family struggling to find a way to protect adult children who cannot be ordered or compelled to seek help. Because the Spears situation is too intense at this time, and out of consideration to the family, I have made the decision not to move forward with the taping at this particular time. Britney and her family are in our prayers, and we ask that they be in yours."
What a load of crap.
I'm going to go out on a limb and guess that there are thousands of young women out there with exactly the same symptoms of mental illness that Britney Spears exhibits. There might even by tens of thousands.
But there's only one Britney Spears. And between the nameless thousands and her, who consistently earns tabloid ratings based on her bizarre parenting and personal behavior?
The truth is, Dr. Phil could snap his fingers and instantly produce ten women with the exact same problems as Britney. He could put any average Joette on his show and "help" them. Would the airing of their problems earn the ratings that Britney's could? Of course not. Britney's rating potential is the real prize here. Dr. Phil's main priority isn't to help Britney, it's to help himself to a huge ratings spike for his show. The real story here isn't Britney Spears; it's yet another media outlet seeking to take advantage of her woes for their own self-aggrandizement. I don't think Dr. Phil cancelled plans for the show out of consideration for Britney's welfare, but instead in response to the public outcry at his meddling opportunism. Truly, if he really intended to help her, he would never have planned to air the session in the first place.
I've always thought Dr. Phil walked a fine line between helping people with their problems and exploiting people with their problems. To be honest, I think he's been in the latter category all along. I don't think you can genuinely help someone with millions of people watching on. I think the setting and the cameras and the host's agenda circumvent any authentic treatment. But people take voyeuristic pleasure in watching the dysfunction of others. It comforts us to see that someone else is waaaay more messed up than we are.
We are all painfully aware of Britney Spear's struggle with . . . well, I'm not completely sure what the hell her problem is, but she long ago stopped being entertaining and is now well into the realm of the pathetic. I once joined the chorus of onlookers who scoffed and snorted at reports of shaved heads, revealed private parts, and late-night drinking sprees. I think my first hint that maybe all this wasn't too funny is when she started driving around with her kid in the front seat; I think it's fine if she behaves stupidly at her own risk, but that's not the case with a little one that can't advocate for his own safety.
But those taking shots at her now need to move on to someone that isn't so seriously ill and those taping the whole thing need to ask themselves if they're comfortable taking advantage of someone so clearly unable to defend herself.
