Ok, sorry to have been the contrarian on the Dr. Laura issue. I have nothing but respect for you all <img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />
I listen to her regularly, and understand (and don't necessarily disagree with) all of your complaints about her.
She *is* consistent with her particular philosophy. Agree with it or not.
Smidgen: I heard her for more than a week. I was appalled at how she jumps to conclusions without hearing the caller out.
Totally agree. No question. This is the most aggavating thing about her to me. I have yelled at the radio before when she has done that to *certain* callers. (Plenty others, however, need to be cut right off... 2x4 time for them.)
Smidgen: Not to mention her wacked out ideas about divorce and remarriage!
You must be referring to her general advice of no courting/dating with kids around, yes? Waiting until the kids are up and out before taking up with someone else? That usually is her advice, based on her #1 priority being kids and their wellbeing. She believes that new boy/girlfriends in and out of a parent's life is detrimental to children. If no kids, knock yourself out.
*Her opinion*, which she frequently reminds listeners they are perfectly free to ignore.
My personal experience with remarriage with kids is different. My step-brothers and my brother and I insisted our respective (BS) parents get together <img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />
Smidgen:I heard her tell one man he should divorce his second wife and remarry the first, because she was the mother of his children. There was no discussion of the reasons they were divorced.
I have heard her say this to WHs who were off with the OW. She usually queries for the reasons for divorces. Is it possible you missed that part?
Smidgen:Later, I think in the same hour, she advised somebody else to divorce a cheating spouse. No discussion, just, "you'll never trust him again."
She didn't seem to see any irony in her positions, but it occurred to me to wonder whether first wife ended up divorced because she was a cheater.
I'll wager that the 2nd caller had no children with the cheating spouse. She *always* asks. Her #1 priority is children. If there are no kids, and one of the two is Addicted, Abusive, or Aduterous, she will advise divorce.
She also will tell a BS that they will never fully trust the WS again, that the pain and betrayal will never fully go away, but that it will receed in time, and become part of history. I have heard her say this many times.
Smidgen:Unless Dr. Laura learns to listen instead of going off half-cocked, her advice is worse than useless. It's right just often enough that people trust her. And then she spews a boatload of garbage.
Perhaps garbage for that one person and thier particular situation, yes. But the "boatload" is consistent with her general recommendations and basic principles. Kids, #1, Marriage & Family #2, Nation #3.
She gets aggravated with stupid people very quickly. She *really* gets upset with active WSs. Bottom line, I have never heard her be nasty with anyone who didn't ask for it. Geez, you know it's the 2x4 hotline, right? <img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/eek.gif" alt="" />
chackler:Some of her advise is spot on but then sometimes she says stuff that completely shocks me. I would never EVER call her show because odds are she wouldn't be too kind.
I don't think she would be hateful to a remoreseful FWW. She may be tough, and break out 2x4s, but she would *much* prefer your attitude to an active WW trying to justify an affair.
chackler:I remember a woman called saying that her marriage is miserable. She then mentioned in the conversation that she was overweight. Dr. Laura reduced this poor woman to tears over the airwaves, berating her for her weight problem. So sad.
Wasn't there an overweight thread here a while back? There is very little excuse to be overweight, and Laura, being a scrawny little b*t(h, has no sympathy at all. Heard it from her plenty of times before. Tough talk. Eat less/exercise more. Maybe that woman got on a *real* diet/exercise program after that call. The fact of the matter is that most men become *very* unhappy if their wife gets really fat and stays fat. It's just a fact. (No excuse for men to let themselves go either, BTW.)
I have heard her countless times be extremely passionate and concerned and loving to callers.
All this does not mean that I agree with her 100% of the time, but I do agree 100% with her that children should be parents' number one priority.
Since I am not her shill, I am dropping this topic now.
Best Regards
