Apparently, Robin's his soft place to fall - but he didn't want her to be TOO soft, y'know?

Add me to the growing list of people disgusted by Phil and Robin's "bargaining for babies." I am perplexed as to why she would brag about that in O Magazine. Those two really think they can do no wrong.

And hasn't Dr. Phil couselled several couples on his show about this very issue? When one person wants another baby and the other doesn't, the Dr's advice has always been this: both people have to want another child; it only takes one reluctant parent to veto the other. I wonder how Jordan feels, knowing that his Dad had to be bribed into fathering him. Once again, Dr. Phil is a big fat hypocrite.

And this longstanding agreement might explain Robin's constant deer-in-the-headlights look we have been attributing to Botox. Maybe it's just paralyzing fear; fear that if she gains a pound, good ol' Phil will hit the road.

That's the best thing I've ever gotten from Dr. Phil (albeit peripherally): Fucktard. I'll marry you too, male, female, color and religion of no concern.

wrt: bargaining for babies. I told Mr. Hexele that after Junior, I would appreciate it if he would take me to New Orleans for a weekend when I reached my pre-pregnancy size. It wasn't so much a bargain as a "prize" to keep me motivated to get back in shape. I had worked so hard to get there, dammit! Isn't that the same thing?

I got all my dirt on this from the True Hollywood Story/Biography piece on him.

The story I heard about their infamous "Baby Bargain" was that he didn't really want another child but then one day overheard her tearfully talking on the phone (Clearly in the midst of a true Massengil Moment!) saying how much she wished they had had another child before he had the vasectomy.

He then secretly went and had his vasectomy Micro-Surgically Reversed, then showed up with flowers and a sweet card (must have gone straight into the box) indicating that her wish for Baby #2 would be honored despite his minimal ambivalence, and then finally asked her to agree to remain beautiful and glamorous even if they had another child.

So, in all honesty, it didn't sound like he drove a partcularly hard bargain, but rather, that he agreed to what she wanted so desperately -- and which he was basically just so-so about -- and then asked for something he would like in return.

Considering how Obsessive-Compulsive Robin is, it really wasn't exactly THAT BIG a demand on his part or sacrifice on her part. And since he was expected -- as per their Conservative Man-As-Breadwinner Arrangementp -- to cough up the cash so she'd have the slaves, time, and resources to keep herself PERFECT IN EVERY WAY, I'm fairly sure that Robin didn't care either. Her monthly budget for potions and treatments is probably about or in excess of the GDP of a small nation.

Besides, even if she DID mind his request, she's got so many of their Sentimental 'N Gushy Family McGraw Hallmark Moments in Robin's Magical Shoebox Of Keepsakes that I'm sure she'd let it slide, bury any anger she might have had, and then allow it to all be washed out of her at her next regularly scheduled Deep Colonic Hydrotherapy Cleansing and Post-Menopausal Vitamin Treatment.

They also showed some fairly sweet video about how when Jay was born he had some stomach problems requiring immediate surgery and how Dr. Phil was there in the operating room to make sure they didn't give the baby too much anesthesia; this was sweet, but made no sense, he's not an Anesthesiologist!

Today's episode was rather boring because it focused on another Demographic which Dr. Phil LOVES to target:

People who, for "No Good Reason!" (Which apparently includes abandonment, abuse, depression, job-loss, poverty, and no marketable skills!) are dependent on other people and "Are clearly NOT TRYING HARD ENOUGH!" to pull themselves up by the bootstraps 24/7/365 in a Super-Human Attempt to be Self-Made and therefore (According to Dr. Phil and Oprah!) DESERVE TO FAIL NO MATTER WHAT THE CIRCUMSTANCES! Of course, as we all know from he and Robin perpetually singing The Ballad of The McGraw's -- Dr. Phil has SUPPOSEDLY triumphed ALL ON HIS OWN!

To make matters worse the last woman featured on today's show -- Who was brought in by her Ugly Heifer Daughter who was INSANELY JEALOUS that her attractive Mom's work-week (Childcare and cooking and cleaning aside!) had (supposedly) never consisted of anything more strenuous then flirting, lying back, and spreading her legs for Sugar Daddy! -- got a warm reception from Dr. Phil who assured Ugly Heifer Daughter that raising 7 children was a full-time job for any woman, which it is.

See, the REAL ISSUE is that the Ugly Heifer Daughter probably couldn't find a man who would take care of, pamper, and spoil her because her market value in the looks and personality department just isn't good enough for her bitter-ass to command a premium and so she's jealous of the Mom and perhaps slightly concerned about the fact that the Mom never bothered to become professionally self-sustaining before becoming a stay at home wife and mother which is a legitimate concern.

Unless she's got a supportive extended family any woman without some education and some fairly marketable skills who is dependent on a man for her livelihood -- and can't supply it for herself if he is removed from the equation -- has little better going for her then the options of a prostitute, slave, and semi-unskilled laborer, if anything should ever go wrong. I say this out of concern by the way, not to be mean.

But beyond my Feminist Diatribe, I am surprised that Dr. Phil never tells stay-at-home wives and mothers that they need to be prepared and able and willing to take care of themselves should anything ever go wrong with their set-up.

It isn't even really about feminism, it's more about pragmatism.

I have to agree. Mr. Borokat is a federal employee and has some super sweet benefits, but we have made damn sure that Little Borokat and I are taken care of if he goes out and gets hit by a bus. Now that does not mean living the life of Riley (I have not idea where that expression comes from, I just know my mom uses it all the time and it means living the high life) but that does mean that the house payment will be taken care of and we will have FOOD.

But I know several SAHMs whose whole life revolves around their husbands and have not bothered to develop any marketable skills beyond a couple of years in junior college trolling for husbands (that sounded kinda tacky but its true), and now they feel like they are invincible and hubby is never going to get sick, or die, or hell just leave their dumb asses!

Now, this is definitely not a diatribe against SAHMs (I will be one soon) but just an observation that you always have to be prepared and I have never heard DP wax on this subject. My undergrad degree will not keep us rolling in dough, but we will be able to survive and thrive- if we have to. And when the munchkin goes to school Borokat is hightailing it back to school to get her masters so Mr. B. won't be the only smarty pants in the family! (OK, he is a rocket scientist and I hate math, so he will probably still be smarter than me, but I will even out the playing field a bit!) One other thing that SAHMs can fall into is revolving your world around little precious, and that just gives the kid a narcissism complex. You gotta get out of the house every once in awhile.

Oh, and hello Hexele! Please keep those positive baby stories coming because all people want to tell me are the ones that leave me awake and terrified at night!

Well said, Borokat, and beyond the dangers of narcissism, women need lives beyond their partners and kids to sustain and enrich them as individuals and so they remain plugged into the world and have something to offer the people in their lives and be well-rounded.

So many brilliant quotes...



I'm really getting tired of that garbage from DP. You know, not everyone is overweight because of emotional issues or lack of willpower. In the past decade, I have gained 35 pounds as the result of two things: #1, quitting smoking; and #2, being put on lithium. #2 in particular has been hard; it's even worse when you learn that there's not much that I can do about it.

Yet, because of the lithium, which is the proper medication for me, I have never been happier.

Shut up, Dr. Shill.



Beautifully stated. And I resent the implication that everyone in this world has to be the same size in order to be accepted. It's funny. I was at a business conference today with a good mix of men and women. Size 14 me had a great time chatting up the blokes and enjoying being a flirt. My size did not hold me back from having a great time with either sex. Whatever happened to projecting happiness and peace? Whatever happened to being comfortable in the skin you're in?

I like myself. I may be overweight, but I like myself. What's more, I think I am an attractive woman. Therefore, others do too. It's all about what you give to the world. Karma is a great thing.

So, again, shut up, Dr. Shill. Just because you have a Stepford Wife doesn't mean the rest of us need to read your stupid book and conform to your standards of what is an acceptable weight.



You know, a friend of mine just found herself in that very situation. She is a SAHM, three kids, a McMansion, a Cadillac Escalade...and a husband who just left her for his paralegal.

She doesn't know what to do with herself. She didn't finish college. She met Mr. Attorney when she was working as a secretary at his firm. She became a SAH wife after they married, decorated their house, played tennis, etc. She got pregnant at regular intervals. Her life was her house, the children, and the husband.

He dumped her. And while he will pay child support, no-fault divorce laws do not entitle her to any real appreciable money. She and the kids will experience a definite change in lifestyle. She most definitely will have to work.

She has no degree, she has no skills. I have two degrees and mad skills and I can't find work. What chance does she have?

Testify Cgirl! I was a size 6 until I went on DepoProvera and got leashed to a desk. Then I became less of a morsel and more of a meal, plus I wasn't 21 any more. Depo made me blow up like. well. a blowfish. It was nasty, I had to quit taking it, but I never really lost the weight.

To me, a confident size 14 is much more appealing than a neurotic size 4. *cough*Robin*cough*

My mom was a SAHM for a while, then she went back to work and back to school. She always had her own accounts and investments. When I got married (the first time), the pastor lectured us about ridding our lives of "I and mine" and only having "we and ours". I thought that was assinine then, and I still do. I don't fault SAHMs, but everyone should be able to pull their own weight, or at the very least have a contingency plan to take care of themselves. I believe kids benefit from seeing their mom as a strong person capable of making it in the world, rather than just a source of cookies that revolves around their little asses. (I'm exagerating that last bit, but you get what I mean.)

Borokat, don't worry, go in with the idea that you'll enjoy it. I heard all these women moan that after their c-sections they couldn't walk for weeks or couldn't even lift their babies.....maybe so, but I was out of bed in two days on my own steam (with an IV drip pole!) and walking the neighborhood within two weeks. And I'm an old gal! Most births go smoothly. TRUST YOURSELF. (And buy some Mylicon to have on hand.)

I checked out Dude on the Corner's Web site, and he says:

"If you saw our follow-up episode of the Dr. Phil Show, you saw Dr. Phil present a job offer from a company called Moneyworx (.biz) on national television. It was a good offer-a very good offer-but unfortunately it was just too good to be true. Let me be perfectly clear here: Dr. Phil presented an offer that he thought was legitimate. But when I showed up for my first day of work for this company, no one even had a clue that I was coming. They didn't know who I was, or why I was there. Bottom line, there never was a position-just someone's cruel attempt to get some free company publicity on Dr. Phil's show. Needless to say, it was crushing and humiliating. Tony (the headhunter from the show) said that in 25 years he's never seen anything like it. "

It's for all the reasons we've discussed that the SAH Lifestyle concerns me because so many women get -- unknowingly -- trapped in it and find out only too late the important of getting educated, trained, and having some work-experience.

Don't get me wrong, if a woman has done those things, has a good husband, and a helpful set or relatives on both sides she'll be OK, and then her doing the SAH is fine and not particularly fraught with danger.

But what is terrifying is how many women haven't prepared, have no back-up system, and have no contingency plan and are just drifting dreamily along until death or desertion or incapacitation force them into the role of protector and provider and they realize how little they have to work with.

To make matters worse, I've seen too many childless men hook up with women with children and many of these guys have unresolved childhood sibling and parent issues which is why they were drawn to a woman with children to begin with because it's the perfect battleground to work them out.

The work-world is still hostile to women and children and families, and while many women and men need to power-down their careers to have time for their family commitments, educated and marketable women with reproductive control are Feminism's greatest gifts and also what Patriarchal Minded Conservative Men fear the most because a woman with education will see through their shit and a woman with power will be able to avoid their traps which seek to enslave women.

complicatedgirl:

I agree, CG! I'm overweight due to medical problems (I have PCOS) and a sedentary job. I don't overeat for emotional reasons and I'm tired of his ASSuming that's why people are overweight.



(Dang you, you're my goal size! ;-) I've always been overweight and I've never had trouble finding guys. I've been hit on many times. I think it's all attitude, really.

ChimmyChai:

I disagree. People can't rely on DP to save them from their unemployment. This was a total fluke, and one that didn't turn out well, as evidenced by Gael's post. All Corner Man achieved was to get paraded around as a man who didn't know how to get a job without the help of a TV show.

SAH wives: I would love to be able to do that, but that's just not feasible. Maybe in the future I can but who knows? At least I will have my degree and manufactoring skills.

Oh, and Go Gold Digger Mom! Your daughter's just jealous.

Wow, so that was not even a real job offer? I saw the follow up show. I wonder of DP knows that it was just bullshit and has even bothered to do anything about it. While I thought it was lame for him to find Idiot Corner Guy a job, that does kind of suck to show up for work and THEY NOT EVEN KNOW WHO YOU ARE! Hopefully, it pushed him back into the real world where normal people every day type up resumes, look online and/or the newspaper, find the appropriate job and send them said resumes. That is people who actively search for a job and don't just sit there on their asses and expect it to fall into their fucking laps!!!

Grrrrr....entitlement......grrrr.

Wow! I go away for a few days and then I get a sheaf of philosophical forum notes to read! Holy Batshit Robin!

So I'm playing catchup here. Lots to agree with too almost 99%, Professor Soap, you've provided a thought-provoking depth to these issues. Love it!

Size = health. No way. There's an article in Fitness Mag this month about a woman who weighs about 170, and is 5'6'' and checks out fine. The article concludes that--get this revelation: we are all individuals in our minds and bodies. Booyah Dr. Shill!

I also weigh more than I need/want to, but annual checkups show low blood pressure/cholesterol etc. I just joined a gym in October and like working out. My weight has never stopped the guys from noticing, at all and coming over to talk, etc. even though I'm married too. I agree with Snowdog that it is attitude. I act "as if" I am at my ideal weight and also upbeat. I take regular showers (whether I need to or not--sorry, couldn't resist) and fix myself up too, btw. I also have interests other than my self or weight.

Borokat & Hexele--I had a c-section and it was fine. Frankly, after several hours of labor, when the doc said, "we're going to give your something to stop the contractions," I thought it was the best thing I had ever heard in my life! I was careful and had no problems afterward--the doc gave me pain pills which I took sparingly.

SAH wives? Ditto to all above. On the other hand I have been "underemployed" all my life (contract jobs in education) and am sick and tired of it. I am going back to school this summer through a 1-year program with the express purpose to get a FT job with benefits. For women, underemployment is common because we bear most of the burden for staying home with kids/sick kids etc. That is why I did it. Women still get paid less than men across the board, and "female" job fields are underpaid.
It will be interesting when Dr. Shill's marriage falls apart and Robin is kicked out on her botoxed ass! The guy has such a big ego that he is gonna fuck up big time and then be angry when the tabloids find out. Robin will cohost a show with Kathy Lee then on spurned trophy wives. Morons. Fucktards (tm Professor Soap).

Abortion issue here really surprised me. Years ago I was an "escort" at a few clinics to help women get from their cars into the office with as little "sidewalk counseling", i.e., yelling obsenities, slamming fetus photos in our faces, screaming "babykiller", howling prayers, and condemnation from the religious anti-choice folks. Also lots of defamation/destruction of the building. Fascinating social scene to witness. I used to hate when those anti-choice people brought kids--how traumatic for those poor things. The husbands/boyfriends who did come along wanted to fight those people. I don't think Dr. Shill wants to touch that issue with a 10 foot pole. Alexandra definitely will fuck up again and I imagine she will "go away to visit an aunt" for awhile. Another baby in that psychological hell hole? No fucking way!

Wow Gael, good dirt!

From ComplicatedGirl

YES! Also glad you brought up the medication issue. I have a dear relative who would be living in hell if not for Zyprexa, but it does cause an average weight gain of 60 pounds a year.

There are far worse things than being fat and I'm here to tell ya' (having been 5'6"& 110lbs for most adult life) being thin doesn't bring happiness. Unless maybe you're Robin and spend four hours per day in front of the mirror, prepping to go on television and smirk.

I can't wait for that Kathy Lee and Robin Show!

Word! I know many uber-thin women who walk around looking like they're constantly sucking on lemons. They're so obsessed with being thin that they pursue no meaningful activities (they're too busy working out, etc.) and have no real personalities. Kinda like when I've seen ex-models interviewed - and how some of them realized (too late, kinda) how they'd built their whole lives around 'being beautiful' and when their beauty began to fad, they had nothing else to fall back onto (both personality-wise and work-wise). Very sad.

This why you see women who aren't a perfect size 6 who snare really great guys - they have a life, personality and self-confidence...and can enjoy others because 'it's not all about them'. Not to say that size 4's and 6's don't snare great guys (many do and if they're that way naturally, that's one thing - but the ones who expend 150% effort to stay that way - at the expense of having a life and developing a personality and who do this all out of vanity and massive insecurities -that's another story, IMO).

It's like women who start having every cosmetic procedure under the sun. I'm not opposed to cosmetic procedures - but when one keeps having one after another, there's a deeper psychological issue to be dealt with. Very few doctors will refuse patients who want more and more and more (I've read about a few who will as they do recognize that it's a psychological issue) because of the $$$$ it brings in. And of course, as expected, these women keep expecting to 'feel better about themselves' with every procedure, but constantly come up empty and never realizing why.


Percolata, I know about Robin having a show developed by her (by DP), but is Kathie Lee (or as the NY Post calls her, "Kathie Me!") going to co-host?!!!!!

My eyes!!! My eyes!!! Aiieee!

NOOOOO!!!

(My response to The Proposed Super-Heroine Team-Up of Robin and KathieMe!)

First up, did anyone catch Dr. Phil on Letterman last night? Hilarious! I want that Dr. Phil Alarm Clock in the worst way!

What a PATHETIC episode that was and I think it was a repeat I hadn't actually scene the first time around!

The twins were just lame, so there's just no point in talking about them.

I wish Dr. Phil had not showcased Gastric Bypass Guy's artwork and asked him to talk about it because he shamed all comic book fans and confirmed the worst biases and stereotypes of the general public that comic books are only for insecure, infantile, and semi-psychotic people who can't make it in The Real World although that description also sounds like George Bush and Robin McGraw.

Anyway, the former fat guy, GB-Guy, having lost all the weight through a stomach stapling is now apparently FINALLY worthy of love in the Dr. Phil universe because as Dr. Phil has instructed us again and again, fat people are unlovable, undesirable, and worthless as human beings... EXCEPT FOR THE FACT THEY IN FACT ARE LOVABLE AND WORTHWHILE AND DESIRABLE SO DR. PHIL CAN'T Y'ALL PLEASE STOP BEING SUCH AN ASSHOLE AND A FUCKTARD ABOUT THIS ISSUE!

I would have LOVED it if he came on the show pre-surgery and weight-loss and Dr. Phil finally dropped the caring act and revealed his true hatred of fat people and told him:

"If you're fat then you're unlovable, undesirable, and worthless so get out and don't come back until you've dropped a few hundred pounds!"

It's funny, I can actually identify with the part about not wanting to go up and talk to people in a pick-up type setting or mode, because it always seems so forced, fake, and sleazy, but I have found that I have no such inhibitions when I meet people through classes, workshops, work, or friends. I also notice that when I deal with people who I was drawn to strictly on a physical basis we also tend to have nothing in common and then I am miserable because there's nothing to work with.

I feel that going up to someone you don't know is a lot more pressurized because there are no immediate shared contexts to build on and the fact that you are going up to them with no context already puts them under significant pressure to have to make a split-second judgement about you. This is particularly truth in emotionally frosty places like New England where there are highly defined social networks and people can be quite stand-offish.

It's so much easier to meet people through classes, workshops, work, and friends, although I must admit that the hottest people always seem to appear in places where I can least approach them. I'll have to work on that in therapy.

As for the Performance Phobic Pianist, a part of me was immediately suspicious about why her miraculous cure could only be found on the Dr. Phil show.

Was he the only one who could offer her RADICAL SELF-PROMOTION THERAPY?

She sure seemed to get over her fear pretty quickly as they wheeled that piano out and she played beautifully.

I agree. There's no starting point so it really feels like you're just after one thing ... not that there's necessarily anything wrong with that one thing. ;) But, it is easier where there's some sort of common ground already established.

About SAHM's ... It's a complicated issue. Children take a LOT of work. I mean, a lot, so it does make sense to me for one parent or the other to stay home if possible. Even then, it's hard. However, I think some people overlook the risk that the SAHM takes. Yeah, the husband can leave, but other things can happen, too. My mom was a SAHM who hadn't finished her college degree and when I was 10 my dad got sick, couldn't work anymore, and they were stuck with HUGE medical bills. So, my mom had to find a job, which was really difficult due to her lack of experience and education. She did it eventually, though, but we went through some tough times. So ... there are risks for the woman, the kids, and the family in general. You just never know what's going to happen and you need Plan B.

Professor Soap:

I thought she was a great big phony. "Oh, I'm like, so scared!" and then she knocks down DP in her hurry to get to the piano and show off in front of America.

I caught the promo for the Monday show about racism. One guest said, "I don't think I'm a racist because I don't want to see my daughter date blacks" and DP replied, "How does that not make you a racist?" Why the hell didn't he ask Vai that question when she said she'd never date a white man? Freaking double standard. Bleh.

The piano woman played awesome, she really does have a gift. I thought DP was an asshole about it though, "play something for me to leave to". Asswipe! I got the feeling she really was terrified about it, but being on the show and the way DP minimized it probably made her feel silly/stupid.

It is tiresome. "Racism" is not just a wrong perpetrated by whites upon blacks. Frankly, some of the most racist people I have ever known have been black; I had no idea about the level of animosity in the black community for Latinos. In my line of volunteer work, I witness it every single day.

And no, having a history of slavery does not entitle you to indict the entire white community as being "racist," saying any insulting thing you like. My ancestors never owned a slave: on the maternal side, we were Irish potato farmers who managed to get out of Ireland prior to starving (and look into how the Irish were treated at the time of slavery in the United States. Your mind would boggle.). On the paternal side, we are Austrian who saw the writing on the wall when it came to Hitler, and fled the country. There is nothing more racist than making vast generalization based on the color of someone's skin, as blacks already know. I don't understand, then, why they engage in such behavior themselves.

Of course, my husband's ancestors never owned any slaves either. They were too busy being slaughtered by the Nazis in the concentration camps.

Sorry to mislead, Bibibella, there really isn't a Kathy Lee & Robin show coming up - I was just refering back to Tosia's grand idea:

This is how rumors get started - and it sure is fun!

It looks like DP is in reruns again next week... I just checked drphil.com, and all of the show synopses look familiar. Including Tuesday's "Ask Dr. Phil and Robin"... I know that one was sooo popular here when it aired the first time! ha ha.

OK, I snooped on the Dr. Phil site to see what kinds of shows would be coming up, and I'm so angry right now......

Spoiler-tagged so that if people don't want to know, they don't have to.

First on the list is this title: My Spouse's Unconditional Love Keeps Me Fat

Excuse me. WHAT?!


It's good to know that unconditional love is such an awful thing. Because then, you know, you might stay fat, and if your loved ones aren't willing to disown you because of a few extra pounds, maybe you need to kick them until they do.

I mean, yes, I can see what he's going for -- people who go to far on the side of "No, honey, don't bother at all, you're fine" and therefore sabotage you making progress with things you want to change about yourself-- but it's hard not to filter this through the lens of Dr. Phil Hates All Fat People.

Particularly when the very next topic is Loved One Need Intervention About His/Her Weight?

I swear by all I know, if you drag me on national television to tell me how fat I am, I will stab you forty-seven times in the parking lot and set fire to your dead body.

Fucktard.

SHIT! How can they be giving us yet another week of re-runs?!?

The show on THE EVIL OF RACISM is in fact AN EXERCISE IN RACISM!

First, they bring out the estranged BELOVED UNCLE KLAN-DADDY in his "Nazi Finery" to explain why people of different races shouldn't marry and have children. Of course, the fact that there is only ONE RACE (The Human Race!) which admittedly has many ethnic and religious groups and hybrid sub-divisions, sub-sub-divisions, and sub-sub-sub divisions is lost on everyone in the audience and many of the viewers.

They then bring out the heroic couple whose banner would read OUR BEAUTIFUL COLOR-BLIND LOVE IS STRONGER THEN YOUR HATEFUL RACISM YOU HORRIBLE AND IGNORANT OLD MAN! and so the battle lines are drawn and the conflict explored with Dr. Phil getting to prove his Pseudo-Superiority (YET AGAIN!) by denouncing the retro, ignorant, and evil UNCLE KLAN-DADDY WHO MUST NOW BE REVILED for his wicked and intolerant ways! BTW, they did an NC-17 version of this show on Springer a couple years ago.

But, just when you think that Dr. Phil has managed to educate the ignorant and the prejudiced, moved people forward and together, and totally dismantled and discredited the moronic arguments of THE NOW REVILED UNCLE KLAN-DADDY, he then carts out an EXOTICALLY BEAUTIFUL bi-racial un-married mother of 2 who is a deeply confused / disenfranchised / shame-filled young woman who's sad tale of woe is that she feels at home nowhere, cannot accept herself, and is not accepted in either world! They then spend The Lion Share of the time letting this girl rant about how she can't find peace and in a roundabout way her testimony seemingly validates some of the retro-racism offered up by the inarticulate and loathesome UNCLE KLAN-DADDY. They don't bother to point out that her lack of self-esteem and self-confidence and a personality might have anything to do with her being adrift.

As I recall, they also carted out another girl who of mixed background as well who was OK with it.

This episode is one of the perfect examples of how Dr. Phil claims to explore all sides of the issue he's examining, yet in the end, no matter how high or far and no matter where he leaps, he always lands white, male, religious, traditional, and conservative.

I found this link by accident and thought you all would like it!

Dr. Ethics

Thanks, Katymo for the link. Yep, Ol' Phil's credibility is starting to slide downhill.

"Radical Self-Promotion Therapy"? Prof Soap that is the perfect description for Dr.Shill's work. You mean those weren't truly miracle cures that we were witnessing on the show?

Cue the Robin & Kathy Lee Show (in the deviant part of your own brain). Just think: Segments on botox--or will that be Robin's next venture--her own product! Botox supplements to go with Phil's diet drinks!

Eyebrow tweezing gone mad!

Tout your marriage solidarity--and watch out for stewardesses!

Bargain your body for stuff. Oh, wait, that's prostitution.

I am still sticking with my theory about the reasons we're seeing all these reruns...the Obese Booty Camp people have had well over 6 weeks to recover from their surgery so I'm thinking in 2 weeks we'll have the amazing! Dr. Phil! results!
Prediction: The women have lost 100 lbs between them and are now very grateful to Dr. Phil. Watch them walk out of their house to get the mail unassisted!!! Look at them eat a salad while reading Dr. Phil's book! See how other people can stand inside their old pants with them?! Amazing!
Mmmhmmm....you guys just watch.

I have experienced this many times in my life. I'm half Colombian-half Swedish, and since my skin is as white as a baby's butt cheeks, the Latino community questions my heritage.

I'm a member of a minority organization at school, and whenever I walk the halls in the building, I get dirty looks. It gets tiring having to constantly qualify myself, so I often avoid the building altogether.

I totally understand the guest's feelings about this. It's very frustrating being rejected by a group of people you are a part of. But, since there's nothing I can do about it, I just try and push it out of my mind, and focus on the fact that my friends, whether they're Latino, white, black or Asian, accept me. It's also an odd feeling to identify yourself as a Colombian within your family, but as white outside of it.

Since I do look white, no one questions me belonging to that race, so I'm not in exactly the same boat as the DP guest. Also, I grew up in an area that has ~70% white, ~30% Asian, and just a sprinkling of blacks and Latinos, so I've always felt accepted by my peers. If I had grown up in a Latino neighborhood, I'm sure it would have been very different.

That being said, would I change anything....HELL NO! I love being a half-ling. :)

Edited cuz I'm retarded and misspelled Colombian. Thanks NiceFace for catching my typo.

Adding my thanks for the link, katymo. I don't know if I'd have as much of a problem with DP endorsing the shakes if he were an MD instead of a PhD (probably so). I think it's more of the fact that he started off by saying there was no magic pill, etc. to dieting and now he's selling them.

No offense, but it's ColOmbian. I am 100% Colombian (although I was born in New York) and it angers me very much so to see people not being able to spell the name correctly.

Edited because 24 hours of retrospection made me realize that I was being childish.

That being said, I found this on Amazon. Look at all the garbage in Dr. Shill's "nutrition" bars:

Label Information
Ingredients
Caramel Syrup (Corn Syrup, Hydrogenated Starch, Sugar, High Fructose Corn Syrup, Sweetened Condensed Milk, Fractionated Palm Kernel Oil, Butter, Gelatin, Lecithin, Natural Flavor) Crisps, Soy Protein Isolate, Oat Fiber, Tapioca Starch, Rice Flour, Soy Fiber, Malt Extract, Salt), Chocolate Flavored Coating (Lactitol, Fractionated Palm Kernal Oil, Chicory Extract, Cocoa, Sucralose, Salt, Lecithin, Distilled Monoglycerides, Natural Flavor), Sodium Caseinate, Partially Hydrolyzed Guar Gum, Calcium Phosphate and Less Than 2% of the Following: Chicory, Chicory Extract, Natural & Artificial Flavor, Magnesium Oxide, Maltodextrin, Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C), Ferrous Fumarate, Biotin, Cholecalciferol (Vitamin D), Chromium Chloride, Copper Gluconate, Cyanocobalamin (Vitamin B-12), D-Calcium Pantothenate, Dl-Alpha Tocopheryl Acetate (Vitamin E), Folic Acid, Manganese Sulfate, Niacinamide (Vitamin B-3), Phytonadione (Vitamin K), Potassium Iodide, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (Vitamin B-6), Retinyl Palmitate (Vitamin A), Riboflavin (Vitamin B-2), Sodium Molybdate, Sodium Selenite, Thiamine Mononitrate (Vitamin B-1), Zinc Oxide; May Contain Trace Amounts of Peanuts

Caramel? Sugar? Butter? Sweetened Condensed Milk? It sounds like the treats I bake at Christmastime!

Everybody can drop the off-topic bickering about countries of origin, like, immediately. Thanks.

Well, if Cindy Adams (gossip columnist for the NY Post) is to be believed (and I tend to believe her on this one), she wrote in today's issue that Oprah ain't too happy with Dr. Phil (surprise, surprise!).

She wrote that Oprah is a little bit less ecstatically thrilled with Dr. Phil...that now that he's talking about producing a talk show for Robin, Oprah thinks Phil is abusing 'her privilege' (since she gave him his talk show and essentially put him on the media map). Cindy says that 'she hears that the angst is complicated and that it's internal' (whatever that means) and that she hears she's not happy about lots of stuff.

Will be interesting to see if Oprah tries to put the kibosh on anything with Phil. I'm betting she's highly angry and embarrassed at what a media whore he's become and probably starting to question her association with him, given that she produces his show.

Boy, if Oprah does confront him and deal with him about abusing his privilege and opportunity that she has given him, that would be one hell of a smackdown to watch!

If Oprah doesn't do something soon, Dr. Phil's big-butted son will have his own show too.
Like, for teens! (Even though he's 20-something.)

Excellent news, Bibibella, about Oprah being "upset" with Dr.Shill!

I have written emails to her a couple of times About Dr. Shill when I have gotten so angry about his crap on many things and needed to vent. Aside from all the stuff I have vented here and concurred with what you all hate about him and his show, it's the megalmaniac ego that got me.

He says stuff that "He" invented this weight loss system--rightttt, along with Al Gore and the internet. Or Dr. Shill says that "his philosophy" is whatever the fuck. Yeah, right again, you and Socrates or Freud or Hendrix, or Weight Watchers, or whoever the fuckety fuck fuck who originally thought of whatever book or product you're slappiung your fat face on Dr. Shill!

Oprah created a monster and maybe now wants to get out of the way when the lawsuits over weight loss products start flying. I'll bet he's got some airtight binding contracts though and she will have a hard time. I don't think he will be able to do much though--he's a commodity now and unless more shit comes up--like previous posters have linked about him from the weight loss community about his crap products, or from the psych community about his jinky therapy--radical self-promotion therapy--I still love that, thank you Prof. Soap--his 15 minutes of fame will stretch out a while more.

But he will fall. This I do believe.

Welcome for the link! I remember hearing on ET or one of those type of shows when DP first started the show that the people that work there hated it cause he was abusive to the staff. Not too hard to believe.

I bet he yelled at anyone on the staff who didn't compliment Robin every single day.

katymo, I had heard that as well...plus, how DP surprised everyone on staff by calling a two-week hiatus over the Christmas holidays but not paying the staff for that hiatus. Apparently the news about the hiatus (and no pay) was announced at the last minute...

Yeah, I heard about that one too. Gee, just what I love at the holidays: two weeks without pay. Maybe lardass Jay can have the bicycle I was planning to buy for my kid.

Regarding Robin, I saw something on DP a while back that really formed my impression of her. DP compared photos of how he comes dressed to the studio in the morning, and how she comes in. He looks a mess, as if he just rolled out of bed (call time is 5:45am, I believe). She looked perfect, as in not a hair out of place, makeup all applied, and dressed in a dressy outfit.

Now, I know girls like this. They were a dime a dozen in my sorority. I'm all for good grooming, don't get me wrong. Yet I have to wonder about women (and to a lesser extent, men) who have to look perfect all. of. the. time. A hair must never be out of place. The lipstick must always be applied. The house is decorated to the nth degree and is always immaculate (saw an ep where they showed the McGraw McMansion).

I dunno. I'm for letting your hair down every now and then. If you sit in the computer den with a 1996 Apple t-shirt and shorts on while dishes sit in the sink, what's the harm? Guess I'm never getting my own talk show.

complicatedgirl, word to that. Maybe Robin gets up at 3 a.m. to start getting ready. Oprah did a show once about women who had never ever let their husbands see them without makeup! (talk about some weird crap going on there).

One woman went to bed with full face of makeup (and boy, she 'troweled' it on, making Tammy Faye Baker look au natural) and then got up about 4 a.m. to put it on fresh (I'm guessing she washed her face then, but who knows?). I forget her excuses about why she never let hubby see her without makeup (and they had been married for over 25 years) and why hubby didn't think it was weird...

Now those kind of folks need help big-time.

Thanks for the scoop, Bibi.

I think I just did a happy dance in my chair.

One of America's legendary beauties, Barbara "Babe" Paley, never allowed her husband William to see her without makeup. She went to tremendous lengths to make sure that she always looked perfect. And she did. Truman Capote was a close friend of hers and always said she was the most attractive woman he knew. High praise, as Truman was a gay man and positively scathing about the appearance, especially that of women.

William Paley was president of the CBS network, and he had babes constantly throwing themselves at him, including Marilyn Monroe. And he bedded those babes constantly, including Marilyn Monroe. His wife's grooming did nothing to stop him from sleeping around.

Perhaps Robin McGraw thinks this way, too. If she keeps up a perfect appearance, she will keep her man (many women think this way). I wonder if DP is a philanderer. I know he preaches against it, but then again, so did Jimmy Swaggart. No amount of Botox treatments is going to keep her man from straying, if he is the straying type.

Is there anyone else who will laugh giggles of shameful joy when Dr. Shill crashes and burns? Because you KNOW that is forthcoming, in some way.

I'm watching the racist uncle right now and I'm trying to contain the rage. Ok, jackass, your "breeding a thoroughbred with a donkey" analogy doesn't work because they're different species. Had you gone with "thoroughbred" and "Morgan," it would've worked.

I did laugh when he asked "why did he get a white girl instead of a Spanish or Mexican girl?" People from Spain are white, dumbass. Gah.

Re: Portraitist's post: On most forms I've seen, there is an option for "Caucasian of Hispanic descent." I'd consider PC to be white as in light-skinned (also bad as in bad actress).

Someday I hope we'll all be so multi-racial that this point will be moot, but I do believe people belonging to the Hispanic race, whether they're from Spain, Mexico, Peru or wherever, are not considered Caucasian or white. Though Hispanics from Spain are pretty fair-skinned, I'd still consider a Spaniard like Penelope Cruz to be hispanic and not white.

But like I said, I look forward to the day we're all so blended that the race labels are meaningless. I skipped this show because I just don't need these racist types upsetting me.

Yeah, I couldn't put myself through watching that today, either. I'd already done my quota of swearing today anyway, so ...

I always think with people who are always perfectly dressed and made up, not to mention those strange souls who's house is always immaculate, that they need more to do with their lives. Yikes. Ok, actually, I'm just jealous because I can barely pull it together to drag myself to work in anything more than jeans and whatever shirt doesn't look too wrinkled ...

Did we really have to see a repeat of a repeat of racist guy? Did anyone think that after ten minutes with the Great and Powerful Shill this person would be "cured"? Anyone? Show of hands?



Not exactly. A mule is the offspring of a male donkey and a female horse. That's why mules by definition are sterile. It's closer to a cockapoo than say, CatDog. So your calling him a jackass is right on the money. (Apparently cousins shouldn't breed either, no?)




Moi? No, no, no...there will be nothing in the least shameful about it. I will recklessly revel in my Schaden-phil.

Last night I had a dream that I was at some small self-help seminar with Dr. Phil and Robin. Robin kept passive-aggressively insulting me and everytime I called her on it, she would just get up and stomp out of the room angrily. Dr. Phil didn't even care about what a witch she was being, that bastard.

I'm going to go find a life now. :p

That was awesome. He does kind of have woman ass. Hee.

Gosh that was mean but dead on. Heehee, I laughed pretty hard.

Does Robin have any type of degree? I realize by virtue of being married to him, that earns her many points, but what qualifications does she have to be a therapist? How about the son?