Phillip Calvin McGraw

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Matt HayesMr. PotterAP English11/3/10

Phillip Calvin McGraw

A man who received a Bachelor of Arts Degree when he was going into a purely

scientific and specialized field; a man who received his Masters Degree in Experimental

Psychology; a man who received a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology but wrote his dissertation on

Rheumatoid Arthritis, a long term inflammation of joints and surrounding tissues, something that

has nothing to do with psychology. Is this a man with any credibility in psychology? Is this a

man that has anything to offer to those who need psychological help? If not, why does he have

his own highly rated and syndicated television show with new guests every day? Most of us

know this man as Dr. Phil. He made his television debut on Oprah after he helped her win a

lawsuit that claimed she defamed the meat industry with her Mad Cow Disease episode. She was

so grateful that she allowed him time on her show every Tuesday. He advised people on their life

strategies and relationships even though he and Oprah met via a courtroom and not through any

kind of life advice program. So why does anyone care what he has to say? Persuasion. It is an

indisputable fact that Dr. Phil is persuasiveperhaps one of the most persuasive people on

television. Otherwise, his show wouldnt have prevailed from 2002 to now. Dr. Phil is not the

only one guilty of this subliminal persuasion, for every talk show utilizes persuasive techniques

to draw viewers, boost ratings, and overload its wallet. Dr. Phil just happens to be the picture

perfect example.

Do you think youre in an abusive relationship? (McGraw).That was a question asked

of Dr. Phils guest, Mallory, on his premier End the Silence on Domestic Violence episode.

Well, shes here isnt she? What is she supposed to say to that? No, Dr. Phil, I think Im in a


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relationship that simply has a problem with arguing. She couldnt have answered that way even

though it wouldve been a perfectly valid answer. That question is a perfect example of Dr.

Phils use of loaded questions, an art of persuasion that he has definitely mastered. He asks a

question that implies an answer. A better question would have been How do you feel about your

relationship? Then maybe she couldve actually said how she feels. Shortly after, he refers to a

large screen on stage that has a checklist of abusive relationship symptoms, but instead of asking

Mallory whether or not she suffers from those symptoms, he tells her. Youre batting a

thousand here!(McGraw). But how would you know, Dr. Phil? You didnt let her answer a

single one of those on her own! And thats the point; if hes the only one talking, no one is

louder than him. No one is heard or considered but him. At one point, he asks her, Dont you

think youve set the bar kind of low here?(McGraw). She doesnt think that; Dr. Phil does! Its

more convincing for the pregnant teenage victim to say it, though. So he asks a loaded question

and BANG! The audience is none the wiser.

The first thing Dr. Phil had to say that wasnt a loaded question was I want you to know

that this is not your fault (McGraw). One may ask, though, But Dr. Phil, does it not take two

people to have unprotected sex? Is it not her decision to stay with this alleged abuser? If thats

not her fault, whose is it? Dr. Phils use of varying hard and soft sell is evident throughout

everything he produces. That line in particular makes it entirely obvious. Nothing is more soft

sell than telling one of the primary culprits that she is not at all to blame. By doing this, he

evokes an emotion in both this young woman and his whole audience that says, Its okay.

Youre only the victim. This statement is perjurya crime for which Dr. Phil should never be

acquitted. Its propaganda that blinds anyone within earshot, thus leading them to believe that the

victim can never be wrong, an unequivocal argument ad misericordium. Twenty minutes into the


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showafter Dr. Phil has already crucified himBrett, Mallorys boyfriend, is allowed to come

out and give his side of things (McGraw). So Dr. Phil asks him somewe all guessed it

loaded questions without allowing him to speak freely on his behalf. Dr. Phil goes on to deduce,

It is time for you to man up, belittling this young man, crippling his argument, and leaving him

no other option but to reply Yes, sir(McGraw). Dr. Phil goes so far as to interrupt another

young man who was there only to defend his incriminated friend. Dr. Phil asked this man what

he thought of the relationship and the boy replied that he always tried to be a good role model for

his friend. As he tried to explain the night that Brett cheated on his Mallory, he stated that he was

there. Before the words were even out of his mouth, Dr. Phil had already slipped in his snide

comment. One of your good influence nights?(McGraw). Needless to say, the audience was

quick to applaud this witty, yet undoubtedly superfluous and counterproductive comment. Dr.

Phil unenthusiastically apologized, but the damage was already done. The audience didnt hear a

word the young man had to say.

Dr. Phil makes use of an exceptionally large quantity of logic flaws in this episode. False

Assumption? Check. Red Herring? Check. Argument Ad Misericordium? Check. Looks like

youre batting a thousand, Mr. McGraw. Dr. Phil asks Brett to tell the crowd why he loves

Mallory, but as Bretts answering, Dr. Phil suddenly has an epiphany. I feel like Im talking to

some junior high students here, and were about to have a baby(McGraw). Smell that? Thats

aRed Herring. Brett didnt get to say everything that he couldve, because Dr. Phil wanted that

subject changed. He wasnt about to give Brett a chance to seem sweet and possibly win over

some of the audience, but thats not the worst of it. Argument Ad Misericordium and False

Assumption both fall into the next segment. Debbie Norris, mother of Heather Norris, was on to

tell her story to the world. One may find themselves asking how this anecdote exemplifies either


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of those logic flaws. Well, it does. Heather Norris was killed in a domestic violence case, but

was she really the victim? Was she really the innocent, little girl her sadly mistaken mother

portrays her to be? Unfortunately, she was not. Heather Norris and Josh Bean were introduced by

a mutual friend at ages 18 and 21 respectively. They were a good match initially (Bean

1).They both smoked pot, and Josh exposed her to the rave scene. It was evident to Bean within a

month that she was a compulsive liar to the fifth magnitude (Bean 1). Josh Bean was the real

victim of domestic abuse:

Another time we got in an argument, I dumped her and took her home. On the way home,

she told me if I didnt take her to a hotel and work this out, she was going to tell her mom

I hit her and call the cops again. I told her to f--- off and I took her home anyway. She

started scratching, clawing, biting, and punching me. I never laid a finger on her. I just

kept trying to drive her home. She made good on her threat. The cops filed charges after

getting a completely fabricated b------- story from Heather and her mother. I didnt know

it at the time though. I got my mom to take digital pictures of the cuts, bruises, and bite

marks. (Bean 3)

At the time of her death, she was living with Josh and on her own accord, even though

she had filed a restraining order against him. They got into an argument in his basement,

and Heather was the one to storm upstairs only to return with a knife and attack Bean. He

was only able to pry the knife from her hand after she had cut up his hands and arms and

had him straddled on the floor. Josh panicked, and Heather died in his arms (Bean 6).

Joshua Bean is in absolutely no way innocent. However, neither is Heather, but Josh is

the only one with blame bestowed upon him. People only get the last half of the story.

They dont hear about the numerous many times that Heather abused Josh, and he


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remained silent. They hear about the poor, perfect, little basketball player that was slain

at the hands of an insane computer nerd.Dr. Phil allowed Debbie Norris to say things that

could not have been further from the truth. Heather passed through exactly where this

relationship is now (McGraw). She said this in reference to Brett and Mallory, a couple

whose domestic abuse was purely verbal.Not physical. If thats not a false assumption,

nothing is. Debbies whole plea revolves around her daughter being perfectly free of

fault, which is in and of itself not true, and around Heather being the good person simply

because she was the one lost. She would have slaughtered Bean had he not protected

himself. Dr. Phils use of Debbies sad, pitiful story inevitably made his argument even

more persuasive, despite its logic flaws.

Dr. Phil has an estimated net worth of $150 million (Dr. Phil). Is it because hes

really a miracle worker? Is it because hes such a great psychologist? Or maybe its

because he knows when to make his guests feel stupid and when to lift them up? Could it

possibly be because he knows how to manipulate questions into having just a single

answer? Or is it because he knows how to pull his audiences heart strings? Its

persuasion. Persuasion and persuasion alone is what makes his moneyhis money and

every other talk show hosts money. Because these shows are so shallow, propagandist,

and one-sided, certain people, certain groups, and certain organizations are labeled: evil,

wrong, deadly, socialist, dangerous, liberal, anything. If thats what popular television is

today, what does that say about its viewers who sit idly by and allow themselves to think

what multi-millionaire know-nothings want them to?


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Works Cited

McGraw, Phil, prod. "End the Silence on Domestic Violence." The Dr. Phil Show. NBC. Los

Angeles, California. Television.

Bean, Joshua. Letter to Matthew Hayes. 30 Dec. 2009. MS. 1601 Secretariat Lane, Indianapolis,

Indiana.

"Dr Phil Net Worth | Celebrity Net Worth." RichestRappers, Celebrities, Athletes, Salary

and Houses. Web. 10 Nov. 2010. .

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Phillip Calvin McGraw