The More You Know: An After School Special
- Details
- Category: Chrissy Satterfield
- Published on Wednesday, 10 March 2010 14:24
- Written by Chirssy Satterfield
I was scanning through headlines last week in search of inspiration. As it turns out I found just the celebutard I was looking for. Whoopi Goldberg gave her worthless two cents on Giuliana and Bill Rancic’s infertility. Let me just say that the hens on The View are about as reliable as the supermarket tabloids, but nonetheless millions of Americans tune in for their razor sharp political advice and tenuous opinions.
Apparently Whoopi feels qualified to bash an infertile woman based on little knowledge. Giuliana Rancic, from the E! Network, and her husband were on The View a few weeks ago talking about their infertility. Their hope was to reach couples struggling with similar problems.
Their good deed was quickly eclipsed by Whoopi and her gaggle of co-hosts. Doctors had told Giuliana that she may need to gain 5-10 lbs in order to get pregnant. When Giuliana told the The View that she was hesitant to gain the weight Whoopi decided that she knew best by saying, “You want to have a baby, you need to prepare your body for that other person who’s going to be there. There’s no ‘buts’.” First, it’s not like Giuliana is mal-nourished. She’s not scandalously skinny. And second, I know many average sized women who have tried to get pregnant for years and have failed. If having a baby was as simple as gaining a few pounds, those women would have been pregnant by now. Yes, weight is sometimes a factor when trying to get pregnant, but it is not the cure-all. Infertile couples go through so much and I’m sure the process is heartbreaking. Why would Whoopi make them feel guilty because they’re hesitant to gain weight? It’s just a T.V. show, it’s not like she’s not saving lives. It comes down to ‘lack of knowledge.’ Giuliana explained later that she did gain the weight, but it still hadn’t helped. The next day after the interview, Whoopi continued her diagnosis saying, “She’s not an actress. She’s on the red damn carpet. If she wants to have a baby, she needs to eat because the baby needs to eat. To hell with that girl.” What is she implying; that it’s unacceptable for an actress to gain weight if she wants to conceive? Why isn’t she holding infertile celebrities to the same standards as an average woman? I’ll tell you why, because she doesn’t know what she’s talking about!
It boils down to this: Whoopi isn’t an authority on infertility, yet she lectured a struggling couple with her groundless opinion. Her comments were cavalier and implied Giuliana wasn’t prepared to be a good mother if she didn’t gain the weight. She took one piece of information and ran with it without factoring in any other possibilities. More importantly, she reacted on what she heard rather than what was said.
It is my belief that some people say things just to say them. The same goes for politics. Some people make unfounded claims based on little knowledge. Like Whoopi, some take small portions of information and run away with their assumptions. An example from my life comes from a co-worker who, we’ll call Wendy, supports the Obama administration. She has the Michelle Obama calendar hanging in her cubicle, which by the way is not what upsets me. I’ve never judged or questioned her political beliefs. I believe liberals and conservatives can live/work together in perfect harmony. However, as I left work last week I jokingly said, “I’ll be really busy this weekend organizing a Tea Party rally.” A couple of co-workers laughed but Wendy asked with a straight face, “What’s that?” I looked at her in shock. I asked if she was serious. She said, “I’ve never heard of that.” This woman is twice my age and has never heard of the Tea Party. How can you stand behind a leader and not know their adversary? I looked at the other co-workers and said, “This is the problem.” People follow politicians blindly. Had it not been a furlough Thursday, I would have stuck around to explain. Now, I know what you must be thinking. I’m the problem because I didn’t take the time to inform her and because I’m conservative I must be brain washed too. Well you’d be wrong my friend. For one, it is not my sole responsibility to educate a person who clearly has no interest in finding things out for themselves. And second, just because I’m conservative doesn’t mean I don’t think for myself. I research my opinions to make them stronger. I didn’t always agree with the Bush administration. There were plenty of screw-ups in that frat house. I research both sides of the track and evaluate each situation as it comes. I don’t claim to know everything and there are a hundred people that agree with that. I just take the time to look deeper into why I believe what I believe. I don’t let the media talk for me, and I don’t allow politicians or celebutards to dictate my thoughts.
Do I think all liberals are uniformed? No, do I think all conservatives are uniformed? Whether Wendy is a liberal or republican or middle of the road, she represents the ideal American for politicians and outspoken celebrities like Whoopi Goldberg. She believes what they want her to believe. Most of what politicians and celebrities say has been packaged in a way that keeps us from questioning. They use definitive phrasing that makes what they say appear factual. The difficult part is resisting the urge to go with the flow. That’s what makes an argument strong. If we are going to support something and put our name on the line for someone, then we better know what the hell we’re talking about. Listen to several sides and facts before developing an opinion. Only then will we be able to form credible arguments and opinions. A surprising dose of honesty, I don’t care what you support as long as you know why you support it.
