Comments on: Enabling Celebrity Dysfunction (I Blame Oprah)

By: click here

click here — Fri, 02 Sep 2011 09:36:49 +0000

Get your horse tack!…

Not sure if this is the right place (I’m not really good with computers), but left you a trackback for your readers, if they ever need some information about horse tack….

By: BijouFan

BijouFan — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 07:28:30 +0000

Kurt, I started reading about the drugs involved in this article, and I thought you were talking about Rush Limbaugh. The fact is, if you were raised in that environment, you would have turned out in a similar fashion. After skimming a few of your blogs, I've come to the conclusion that you are a hate filled, attention grabbing, disgusting individual. If you watched McKenzie grow up on, "One day at a time" like I did, you would be aware that the allegations of molestation came out a long, long time ago, and her own Father didn't even argue with it in the media. It wasn't until recently that she talked of an affair. (puke)

You are typical of a right wing nut-job, who can only resort to divisive hate on an obscure, stupid internet blog. If you are going to lash out at Hollywood, while writing for a blog that has the word, "Hollywood" in it, perhaps you should move on to the Coulter forum. I'm sure that you would be a big hit with them.

Don't blame Oprah, don't blame that gal darn liberal Hollywood, put the responsibility where it belongs. Blame John Phillips.

By: Benj Clarke

Benj Clarke — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 23:19:26 +0000

But I do want to add that my girlfriend and I enjoyed reading your column, it was well thought out and interesting. And even though you and I clearly don't agree on some points, I know that I still enjoy you very much, old friend. You are a sharpshooter. Coffee sometime would be very welcome.

By: Benj Clarke

Benj Clarke — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 23:00:06 +0000

Hey Kurt, did you know that Jerry Springer was at one time the mayor of our fine city of Cincinnati?

I am in complete agreement with you about the spectacle of vicarious gratuity in the expose industry. Certainly Ms. Phillips bears the scars of a screwed up upbringing. Resolution, absolution, forgiveness and redemption should be pursued with a close circle of friends and spiritual advisors for her to make peace with herself and the events of her life. Trotting it out like a circus freakshow for the sake of notoriety and income is questionable and crass at best. Celebrity has a long history of abusing its power in society, and those who would use this power to harm others or escape responsibility deserve a harsh judgment, the notorious Polanski case a perfect example.

Gotta call you out, though, brother: comparing Ms. Phillips' media escapades to your perceived unfair judgment of Sarah Palin is a ridiculous exercise in kneejerk rightspeak and you should be embarrassed dipping into such an editorial cliche. I liked the part of the article where you were using your own brain better. Do I have to add that a presidential/vice-presidential candidate deserves every bit of scrutiny that can be directed at them (and that Ms. Palin was so very clearly unqualified to be a heartbeat away, but I digress)?A couple of random potshots at Al Gore and Jimmy Carter thrown in just so you're sure everybody knows which team you're on. Nicely done – this should lead to a deepening understanding of how we can find ways to work together to overcome the huge challenges that our country faces today. Keep up the very good work.

By: Gio NY

Gio NY — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 13:52:56 +0000

I think this is the MOST disgusting, vile, AND ridiculously ill-founded misinterpretation made, that Liberals love this stuff. NO ONE in their right mind will celebrate incest, NO LIBERAL, NO CONSERVATIVE, NO HUMAN BEING. As a former Republican, all I can say is that this very thinking, the superiority, anti-Christian mentality is what made so many of us rethink the word, "conservative." The word, ideology, has been transformed into a hateful, loathsome, exclusive type of definition that goes against the very ideologies it is supposed to represent, Christian values. I am a Christian, Catholic and as such I believe that Christ teached us to treat others as we would like to be treated. Your words are hateful and evil, so callous to suggest that people are going to glorify Phillips or that Oprah is exploiting her story. Do you know anyone who has been a victim of sexual abuse? If you did, you would understand and feel some sort of compassion that would move you to pray for her, but no instead you victimize someone who we all KNOW is not well. I too am sick, so sick of this celebrity-minded world we are living in and that there are no consequences or accountability for people's actions, BUT at the same time I do think that there are situations when people come out to try to redeem themselves and perhaps by doing so they want to help others in similar situations so that these victims wont' feel alone, or ashamed, but what do you guys do…. ? You throw stones, Want to hang them.. Disgusting! I am sure Christ is really in your hearts. We already live in a very sick world, and promoting a "Psuedo-Conservative-Dysfunction Complex is as bad as "Celebrity Dysfunction Complex." I don't condone Mackenzie's strategy in what looks like she is exploiting her family secrets, but at the same time I think there is shame in not recognizing that she needs, and we good do better for her, faith and a spiritual direction in her life. Perhaps her book will get her there, and shouldn't that be a reason to say, at least, "there may be hope in the end." And perhaps all these stories coming out may help our society realize that we need to correct our actions and that there are core values and social norms that are above labels? I am a an old-school conservative, which I think has now translated into what you call a LIberal. And By NO MEANS do I want to have kids growing up with the likes of narrow-minded people OR social deviants. thank God there are many of us.

By: dcase

dcase — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 14:26:09 +0000

we don't disagree- but Phillips brought it up (down?) a notch by nailing his daughter so she could be totally ruined. Either way when they pass and the tab is due both will find themselves short the necessary currency…

By: Thebutlerdidit

Thebutlerdidit — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 13:14:16 +0000

I have been both. A prescription drug addict and a victim of sexual abuse. You may have the degrees, but you really dont have a clue about the reality.

By: FeFe

FeFe — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 13:07:18 +0000

It would be easier to be supportive of Mackenzie Phillips if the book tour was about people who know or have a suspicion about abuse to speak up, speak often until they are heard. By doing so, the point is to stop abuse immediately. Where does M.P. stress this among the look at me? It seems many people knew of the incest and said nothing. A secret among family and friends. But this should be the point, even if you have to go public to stop abuse, do it. You can't blame the victim but you can't wait for the victim to be ready to face reality either. Silence is consent.

Angelica Huston was prepared to be silent and give consent to Roman Polanski's rape and sodomy of a 13 year old girl until the district attorney made a deal to drop charges of cocaine possession for her testimony. Not book royalties but something in it for her none the less.

People naturally stare at a car crash. But then you have the heartwarming stories and video of babies being pulled from burning cars and many other accounts of heroism. The public is naturally going to stare at celebrity crashes. But don't lecture us for judging those who didn't help or help themselves. Oprah televising a 10 year old girl getting the "birds and bees" sex talk, and then encouraging mothers to buy their daughters a vibrator; Hollywood agents and directors ignoring drug dealers on set; etc. — just who is enabling who? Don't moralize over public skepticism.

– Do you think Jordan's 15 minutes of fame will follow her to high school? Will sexual gratification be as positive for her self-esteem as Obama's Safe Schools Czar, Kevin Jennings, professes?
http://www.debbieschlussel.com/5054/hoprah-watch-...
– Regardless of the intention, the irony of Oprah, a survivor of sexual abuse, rewarding a 10 year old girl for learning about sex, as David Letterman put it, is "creepy":
http://www.debbieschlussel.com/5208/hoprah-watch-...

By: Farmer_Bob

Farmer_Bob — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 12:55:48 +0000

"Roman Polanski = abuser = irredeemable monster. Why? Because positioning him as such helps conservative culture-critics cynically score points.

"Mackenzie Phillips = abused = ALSO irredeemable monster. Why? Because positioning her as such helps conservative culture-critics cynically score points." — MovieBob

It pretty much looks like Roman Polanski has positioned *himself* as an irredeemable monster. Certainly he's a persistent one. Even after the stalking, taking down, drugging, rape-raping and sodomy-sodomizing of Samantha Geimer (Does that sound irredeemable to you?), his only defense seemed to be that "Everybody wants to f— young girls," after which he went out and planked 15-year-old Nastassia Kinski. As to Mackenzie Phillips, it's sounds very much like she and her father positioned each other.

They don't leave much for the poor conservatives to do. If your team insists on handing them the ball, don't expect them not to run with it. Disgust with these perverts is hardly limited to conservatives either.

By: A.Men

A.Men — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 11:21:02 +0000

Great insightful article! I agree.