to dr. phil or not to dr. phil
comments
16 Responses to “to dr. phil or not to dr. phil”
Leave a Reply
Your e-mail address is not collected, used or listed with your comment.
When writing your comment, you can use these tags: <a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <cite> <code> <del datetime=""> <em> <i> <q cite=""> <strike> <strong>
My Tweets- amanda_brooks: @AllyFiesta Yes. Very. It's anti-prostitution rhetoric under the guise of anti sex trafficking.
- amanda_brooks: @Doctor_David I'm going to. Part of the big plan. :)
- amanda_brooks: Finished "The Industrial Vagina" by Shelia Jeffreys. This is not a book to be tossed aside lightly. It should be thrown with great force.
- amanda_brooks: @Riley_Nicole Thank you! On its way. Slowwwwlllllyyyyy :)
- amanda_brooks: @thebellasecret Thank you! I discussed it from a marketing perspective but not a "what do you do with the time?" perspective. Blog idea!
Geeky
I've discovered the pleasure of working with Brian Gardner's WP themes. His Revolution is mind-blowing and he's actually a nice guy. Although his work is easy to use right out of the box, there's infinite fun to be had by customizing (i.e., destroying) it. As you can see here.
G’ah, that sucks, but it sounds like you made the right decision.
Perhaps you could pitch a show to John Stossel? He likes the theme of government laws harming the very people they’re allegedly intended to help. He’s written essays in defense of the “D.C. Madam”:
http://abcnews.go.com/2020/story?id=3105239&page=1
And has done shows on the subject in the past:
http://sexwork.com/subcontents/ABC%20Report.htm
I think you could pitch the use of trafficking laws as a new weapon against prostitutes.
Also, have you considered doing youtube videos? Maybe interview prominent sex rights activists, stage debates with the anti’s?
Good for you! No doubt you made the right decision – whether the show would’ve been a great experience or not, all you had to go on was the information you were given beforehand. And you responded in the only appropriate way which was to protect yourself.
Shame on them for either trying to trick you, or just being incredibly unprofessional with those pre-show details.
You’re inspiring as always!
[...] to dr. phil or not to dr. phil [...]
I agree with Casey. I’m very glad to hear that you didn’t do this interview. What Dr. Phil would’ve done is act like a sanctimonious, condescending jackass (so, his usual self) and make an attempt to shame you into tears on national television. Failing that, then he would’ve upbraided you like you’re the Beast made flesh. *shakes* The thought of that pre-show interview gives me the heebs.
Having worked in television and with some less than reputable show hosts , I think it was a setup. really glad you didn’t fall for it! Be cool and see ya.
I agree with Aspasia and Casey. Dr. Phil is nothing but a hack, and even though you may have felt it might have possibly have produced some positive press for the industry, he’s well known for being condescending and patriarchal.
In fact, don’t know if you saw the show today, but he had a girl (Ashley) on who’d been advertising on CL and he was absolutely nothing but a jackass to her. He has *never* had the first positive thing to say or show about sex work, and I know without a doubt you’d have ended up being put into a situation that would’ve been problematic.
Anyway, as I said, glad you decided not to do it.
Christopher,
Oh! Very good lead! Thank you so much! Sounds like a great opportunity.
As for YouTube…I’ve only just now gotten a digital camera with video capability. Though I’ll probably do videos on my upcoming trip, RedLightDistrict Chicago is WAY ahead of me on this one.
http://redlightdistrictchicago.com/
Casey,
My gut instinct, and the instinct of others around me, were not good. Everything pointed to a VERY unpleasant surprise on the show. I did Lincoln-Douglas debate in high school but the more I found out about the show, the less it sounded like I would get the chance to re-use my rusty skills.
Aspasia,
He would’ve reminded me a lot of my last boyfriend, but since I haven’t slept with Dr. Phil, not sure it would’ve made the same impression!
Yes, the whole slant of the show was becoming far more personal than professional. My “personal” is only relevant in the ways I share on this blog. It’s not ratings fodder, far as I’m concerned.
Jeb,
Nice to hear from you! I owe you a book and an email. Anyway…thank you for that. Other people thought that as well. It was a tough call to make because I wanted to do it.
Alexa,
Wondered what the finished show would be like. Of course he was a jackass! That’s what he does. That part isn’t what worried me.
The main thing that sickened me about the show is that they gave these women the choice of being grilled on a national TV show or jailtime. If this doesn’t sound like television-based trafficking, I don’t know what does. My $0.02.
XX
As usual, your instincts about this were good. If it looks and smells hinky, it probably is.
The more I read, the worse being on the show sounded. That was an incredible amount of red flags that went up. There was no reason for you to give them a legal name and SSN if you were not being paid for your appearance. You’ve got incredible instincts about people that are probably nearly 100% correct. Trust can only be earned by experience and not because someone says you should. Good for you in making the right choice. I don’t think there is any oversight or confidentiality of personal information in a media outlet like that. That and similar shows exploit the people that go on those shows for personal gain. Your opportunity to do a show in the right way will come. Don’t settle for something if you don’t feel it is right.
Well, everyone, looks like our suspicions have been confirmed (also posted this info @ BNG):
Well, here’s something rather disturbing from TMZ.com: A couple that appeared on Dr. Phil’s show as “professional shoplifters” were later arrested by their local authorities based on their televised appearance.
http://www.tmz.com/2009/03/31/dr-phil-triggers-seizure/
http://www.northcountytimes.com/articles/2009/03/30/news/inland/san_marcos/z54340f45c0c009de88257589007b37cd.txt
In light of what Amanda related with her experience with them (esp. the SSN & ID demand) and what sexworkeradvocate reported about the episode in question (and the suspicion of collusion), I wonder if a similar arrest is awaiting the prostitute that did appear on the show. Goddess, that’s shady.
Aspasia,
I believe something like that would’ve happened to me. But unless the format of the show changed, I believe the sex worker on the show had already been arrested via a CraigsList sting. Course, I haven’t actually seen the show. But I do know they wanted arrested women.
XX
Amanda,
I have heard cases in which the major media have double-crossed and misrepresented the program agenda to interviewees that would make a list as long as your leg in fine print. I’m glad you didn’t bite on that bait. You did the right thing.
It’s interesting to confirm that Dr. Phil is a typical major-media phony. At least that made your experience partially worthwhile.
BB
Wow. Good for you for turning that shit down. What the hell is wrong w/ people??
[...] » to dr. phil or not to dr. phil – After Hours| random discourse from a retired escort "Then came the show’s pre-interview. Not a single question was asked about my political views or anything about CL. Instead, I was asked a number of intrusive questions about my mental health, personal history and childhood! My childhood is irrelevant in topics of national policy. It really is. [...]
Think of the Dr. Phil audience: conventional, middle-class, family-oriented, you-get-the-idea… You would have been ripped apart in a televised witch-burning masked as a compassionate intervention. The audience for this kind of TV programming is not interested in questioning their own long-held beliefs but in having them reaffirmed (advertisers pay for an unquestioning audience). Good for you trusting your gut and letting this thing get away. You might have wound up like these people: http://www.wiredprnews.com/2009/04/05/dr-phil-guests-in-hot-water-for-shoplifting-admission_200904053058.html
Amber,
Thanks! You made me smile.
Peridot,
Yes, in the end, their motives became obvious and I needed to look at how far I was willing to go for possible publicity. Obviously, I have boundaries! A good lesson for me.
XX