Judging Icons

 

 

Judge Judy is not a real judge.  She is an arbitrator.  

Dr. Laura is not a real psychologist.  She has a PhD in physiology and just a certificate in family counseling.  

George Carlin was not a philosopher.  He was a comedian.  

Simon Cowell can’t sing – but judges everyone’s singing.  

We have a reality TV show host in the White House.

 

 

My point:  All these people get paid to demean people.  Fans feel schadenfreude for the belittled while simultaneously hoping to become the exception of the icon’s hatred.

Judge Judy exploits complainants’ lack of legal knowledge, double-binds them with questions then disallows their response, and yells like an abusive school teacher.  Viewers are deluded into feeling superior, while maintaining the same IQ by not learning anything.

In a real courtroom with a jury, attorneys can present better evidence in a fair trial, whereas Judy’s cases are a contest for paperwork quality and vociferous insult humor.  The losing side could have been the true winner if they had presented the correct materials. 

Dr. Laura has a long history of victim blaming and verbally abusing people who just want help.  In most of her conversations, she treated her callers’ problems as personal attacks and talked defensively.  Real counseling should be done in private, not broadcasted on some radio show with a host who doesn’t understand the basics of counseling.  Advertisers pulled their content once she repeatedly said the N-word in an episode with a black female caller.  It’s ironic that Dr. Laura calls people idiots.

Simon Cowell’s callousness made him famous starting as a judge on American Idol, where he would humiliate hopeful singers just for missing a note or two.  He never gave constructive criticism, and his comments reflected a layman’s reaction.  Numerous vocalists have minor flaws in their voices, which make them unique, but Cowell was more like a beauty pageant judge in the sense of narrowing the standards of beauty, vocally.  He has calmed down in X-Factor, but it seems like people want to kiss up to this overrated critic.

As for George Carlin, he was just a jerk, but that’s my opinion.  Comedy generally has no boundaries, and you are free to like any comedian, but he is not comparable to philosophers like Aristotle or Descartes.  I saw George Carlin live once.  Few people laughed, and the opening act was exceptionally better.  In one of his viral video clips, Carlin complained about words getting longer, and ironically he also complains about stupidity, despite his challenge in big words.  Granted, Carlin has passed and may he rest in peace.  Though should he be remembered as a philosopher? 

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So, why shouldn’t I just switch the channel or tune into another radio station?  The more the masses are entertained by emotional sadism, the more channels hurtful icons pervade in the media.  People are free to like whatever they want and relieve themselves of enduring people’s merciless foolishness, but what we enjoy says something about ourselves and ultimately our culture.  The cruel entertainers are only funny until one of those TV show hosts ends up running the country.