Dr. Phil hosted a show today called "How Do You Define a Modern Family?" which featured different families and issues including childless couples, single parents, cross-cultural adoption, and age differences between couples. The show did nothing to address queer families of any sort and reinforced the myth of the "traditional family" unit.
The shows excerpt says:
"In the 1950’s, the ideal family consisted of a mother, father, two kids and a white picket fence. But the traditional family unit has evolved with extended families, single parents, gay parents, adoption and no children" (Dr Phil).Sounds like a good show right? Too bad his show featured no same-sex families with or without children. Any show on "modern families" should be inclusive of sexual and gender diversity, featuring gay/bi and trans families. What about polyamorous families, are they not modern or does Dr. Phil disregard them as a family?
Dr. Phil's show has had a number of offensive programs about the LGBT community. His silence on LGBT issues especially when relevant in a show like this is equally offensive.
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7 comments:
I have a better idea, stop watching that lousy show and it'll go away by itself.
oh, phil, glad to see you are expanding your definition of family to "different kinds of brown peoples marrying other brown peoples of different colors!" and "maybe kids".
*sigh*.
@ Stonewall Democrats: The problem is, other people trust Dr. Phil and watch him. Years ago, I had a grandmother who was a shut-in, and she "learned" a lot through TV talk shows. I'd get some very interesting questions whenever lesbians or bisexual people were on. So it's good to have more and better representation.
It does seem like a very busy show, but I'm sure it wasn't an accident that same-sex couples were overlooked.
Dr. Phil never really sys anything on LGBT rights and he probably won't start cause he'd lose a lot of viewers.
I meant to say we should put our weight were it counts the most. Shows like Ellen or any others that at least give gays a fair representation.
Remember, the U.S. is a country in which you cannot get married to your lover in most of the country if you are gay. There's even the federal "Defense of Marriage Act" signed into law in 1996 by Clinton.
We've still got a long way to go. However, on a lighter note, one of the reasons I think that gay/queer culture is sometimes perceived as "cool" or "hip" has to do with the fact that we encounter problems that are not discussed and that Dr. Phil doesn't have a clue about--and we deal with them. And we learn. So we know what matters and how to enjoy life. Think about it.
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