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Dr. Laura to quit

post #1 of 24
Thread Starter 
Ostensibly, over efforts to censor her or punish her for what she said (the "N" word).

Dr. Laura quitting

However, if it wasn't bad enough listening to people tell her their same mistakes over and over again, she completely lost me many years ago when she said she hated cats and called them "coyote food."
post #2 of 24
Good riddance. There was a time when I listened to her just to get some laughs, but that got very old very fast.
post #3 of 24
Like her or not, she's an intelligent woman. It just leaves me wondering; "What was she thinking?"
post #4 of 24
About time they are getting rid of her - she is a nutcase.
They are lucky they are not being sued over this (or maybe they are and that's why she is "quitting", for liability issues) and that she didn't end up with a lawsuit herself risking some precious jail time.
I am not sure from reading that if she called someone the N-word, or was discussing the word itself, but if she called a person that, isn't that a crime with jail time?
And given the fact she did it on radio, there are plenty of testemonies tha can be used on this case.
post #5 of 24
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Carolina View Post
I am not sure from reading that if she called someone the N-word, or was discussing the word itself, but if she called a person that, isn't that a crime with jail time?
And given the fact she did it on radio, there are plenty of testemonies tha can be used on this case.
Not a crime at all. Pretty stupid. In fact, I believe (I haven't heard any of the sound clip involved) that she was actually discussing the selective use of the word.

It falls in the category of "fighting words" that will almost surely get you in trouble with someone. Use it at work to anyone under you, and I can guarantee a discrimination lawsuit.

But no, you can call anyone anything you want to. That's what the first amendment is all about. You just have to be prepared to take the consequences.
post #6 of 24
Quote:
Originally Posted by mrblanche View Post
Not a crime at all. Pretty stupid. In fact, I believe (I haven't heard any of the sound clip involved) that she was actually discussing the selective use of the word.

It falls in the category of "fighting words" that will almost surely get you in trouble with someone. Use it at work to anyone under you, and I can guarantee a discrimination lawsuit.

But no, you can call anyone anything you want to. That's what the first amendment is all about. You just have to be prepared to take the consequences.
Interesting, I thought racism was a crime.
Free speech is not 100% free speech though - a good example is that if that was the case, there would be no crime in misconduct and disturbing the peace, which still there is.
post #7 of 24
Is she still around? I listened to her in high school and thought she was over-opinionated and a bit twisted.
post #8 of 24
Quote:
Originally Posted by Skippymjp View Post
Like her or not, she's an intelligent woman. It just leaves me wondering; "What was she thinking?"
I have a feeling she's thinking TV show on Fox News. She left radio because her sponsors dropped her over this and she claims that infringes on her first ammendment rights.

I doubt she'll be putting her Phd in Phys Ed to use.

Thank The Bunny we still have Dr. (liecense revoked for ethical violations) Phil to rely on for simplistic, ineffective advice.
post #9 of 24
Quote:
Originally Posted by mrblanche View Post
Not a crime at all.
But no, you can call anyone anything you want to. That's what the first amendment is all about. You just have to be prepared to take the consequences.


Wrong again, there are laws against 'hate speach'.

I've seen the clip. She's hilarious in a way she doesn't mean to be.

Here's the clip. It's pretty easy to use The Google to find it.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O7jkow7t0G8
post #10 of 24
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dave_PH View Post
Wrong again, there are laws against 'hate speach'.
Well, actually, in the US, no there isn't. A person or person can be prosecuted for actions that are incited by their speech, or provocation...but not for saying it. And verbal provocation can be considered in violent cases such as hitting someone that was verbally hateful with a beer bottle. What mrblance called "fighting words". A person could also be charged with disorderly conduct or disturbing the peace if they were being bellicose enough about it, but again, not the speech itself.

There have been attempts to pass laws directed at "hate speech", but none have ever even made it to the floor.
post #11 of 24
Okay I was wrong. But my statement has such a ring of Thruthiness.
post #12 of 24
While I'm not a Dr. Laura fan, I give her credit for calling out folks on the double standard. It's okay for the "N" word to be used with each other, but not okay for a white person or some other ethnicity to use the "N" word. However, bringing this up in the way in which it was done was not appropriate and was very poor judgment.
post #13 of 24
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Carolina View Post
Interesting, I thought racism was a crime.
Free speech is not 100% free speech though - a good example is that if that was the case, there would be no crime in misconduct and disturbing the peace, which still there is.
Racism is not illegal. Not any more than any other form of stupidity is illegal. How could you ever enforce it? And who among us would escape conviction (on the stupdity charge, that is)?

Actually, she gave pretty good advice: Be responsible, protect your kids, don't make bad choices, etc. It's just that once you've heard them, there's nothing much more to say.

And she was, as I said, really anti-cat.
post #14 of 24
I don't know if this blog stuff about her is true, she's never interested me. I only googled to see what she said about cats but.....people are saying.

http://blogs.babble.com/famecrawler/...fe/#more-74514

Her mother’s body was found two months after she’d died of heart disease. Dr. Laura hadn’t spoken to her in nearly two decades, explaining that her mother shut her family out and “was never grateful and would always find something to criticize.” She was also estranged from her father who she’s said is “petty, insensitive, mean, thoughtless, demeaning and downright unloving.” (Well, at least we know where she gets it!) Dr. Laura claimed she never mourned her parents death because she had no emotional bond with them. She was also estranged from her sister for years.
post #15 of 24
Stephanie,

I learned just yesterday (while reading about this whole thing) that the majority of folks---black, white, whatever---who believe it is NEVER appropriate to use that word, no matter WHO is using it. There are just too many horrible memories of segregation/racism that are dredged up merely by speaking it and those that speak it, even in their own "circle" are just as wrong as Dr Laura, or even you and I speaking it.

Cally
post #16 of 24
I used to listen to Dr. Laura every day, maybe. . .10? years ago. But her show was on in the afternoon so once I got a job I couldn't listen anymore. I didn't even know she was still on the air, LOL. It's probably time for her to retire. I don't know how she put up with the annoyance of dealing with idiots all day anyway. Not all the callers were idiots, but the percentages were not on the side of reasonable, thoughtful people. She handled this issue badly. Maybe the stress did get to her finally.
post #17 of 24
I read somewhere that (awhile back) that the majority of people who listened to Howard Stern disliked him. Maybe the same is true for Dr. Laura... Rush...Oops, didn't mean to let that get out.
post #18 of 24
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dave_PH View Post
I don't know if this blog stuff about her is true, she's never interested me. I only googled to see what she said about cats but.....people are saying.

http://blogs.babble.com/famecrawler/...fe/#more-74514

Her mother’s body was found two months after she’d died of heart disease. Dr. Laura hadn’t spoken to her in nearly two decades, explaining that her mother shut her family out and “was never grateful and would always find something to criticize.†She was also estranged from her father who she’s said is “petty, insensitive, mean, thoughtless, demeaning and downright unloving.†(Well, at least we know where she gets it!) Dr. Laura claimed she never mourned her parents death because she had no emotional bond with them. She was also estranged from her sister for years.
All of the above is true, plus rumor has it that:
1. She was dating her husband Lou Bishop while he was still married, and she, in fact, broke up that marriage.
2. She also is estranged from her only sister and sibling.
3. She has never mentioned her 3 step children, who reportedly hate her for breaking up their parent's marriage.
4. She does not have a PhD in psychology. It is some other field, can't remember what, so she is technically not qualified to give family advice.
5. She insisted that her son be given her last name of Schlessinger rather than her husband's name of Bishop.
6. Many years ago she had an affair with a much older man, also in radio, Bill Ballance. Also he apparently took nude pictures of her which he, years later, posted on the internet.
7. She had no religious upbringing though her mother was Catholic and her father Jewish. After she became a radio star she decided to become Jewish. For several years she practiced a strict form of Judaism. But after a few years she left that faith, and I don't know if or what she now practices.
post #19 of 24
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dusty's Mom View Post
6. Many years ago she had an affair with a much older man, also in radio, Bill Ballance. Also he apparently took nude pictures of her which he, years later, posted on the internet.
Oh Gosh... BAD visual!
post #20 of 24
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dusty's Mom View Post
All of the above is true, plus rumor has it that:
4. She does not have a PhD in psychology. It is some other field, can't remember what, so she is technically not qualified to give family advice.
She has a PhD in Phys Ed. That's why she calls herself a Dr.
post #21 of 24
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dusty's Mom View Post
4. She does not have a PhD in psychology. It is some other field, can't remember what, so she is technically not qualified to give family advice.
Can't anyone give free advice? I mean, I could write a parenting column for the local newspaper, despite not having kids and having no professional experience. It would be up to the readers to decide to listen to it or not. I think you only have to have a license to charge for your advice.
post #22 of 24
But she doesn't advertise that her PhD is not in clinical psychology, so she gives the IMPRESSION that she is an expert in a field for which she is not trained.

And since she can't seem to forge close family relationships with anyone outside of her current husband and son, I hardly trust her judgment when it comes to family advice.
post #23 of 24
When I heard about this, I heard that the whole reason she got to talking about stemmed, somehow, from the lady on the phone who had called in to ask a question. A black lady had called in and said she was married to a white man, and her husband's family did not approve of it, and/or called her several horrible names. Her husband kind of brushed it off, tried to sweep it under the rug, whatever, and the lady wanted to know what she should do about it. Then I hear the Dr. is quitting (never listened to her in my life) and heard a clip about what she was saying, and it had nothing to do with what was asked, seemed to me. I could be wrong.
But it's not okay in a family, surely, for anyone to call a wife or husband or son-in-law or daughter-in-law any sort of names like that. It seemed to me like Dr. Laura skipped over the actual issue at hand and went off on a rant about the N word. I just wonder if she ever told the lady No, it is NOT ok for your husband's family to treat you like this.
And the Dr sounds like a total nutcase to me anyway.
post #24 of 24
Not interesting. Who really cares?

How she managed to get a talk show giving relationship advice is completely beyond me. She's not even educationally qualified. She bills herself as a "psychologist". She is not!

Here are her education credentials. So far as I'm concerned she was practicing without a medical license and NOW THAT is a crime!

Quote:
Schlessinger received a bachelor's degree from Stony Brook University, and a Ph.D. in physiology from Columbia University in 1974. Her doctoral thesis was on the "Effects of Insulin on 3-0-Methylglucose Transport in Isolated Rat Adipocytes". She lectured at UCLA, the University of California, Irvine, and Pepperdine University.
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