Filed under: News, Interviews, Profiles
If you are the troubled type of person who enjoys the senselessly cruel entertainment provided by bull fighting or dogfights, I suggest you go to YouTube and check out the 'Dr. Phil' appearance by golden voice Ted Williams this week.
Yes, if you enjoy seeing living things suffer, this show is for you.
It's been tough enough watching Williams, homeless until becoming an Internet sensation thanks to his booming voice, bumble his way through interview after interview since fame tapped him on the shoulder.
And don't forget the creepy televised reunion with his mother in which Williams, 53, repeats the words "hi, mommy" like an addled child.
But watching Williams exposed on the 'Dr. Phil' show this week made me turn away.
I understand that to some folks, watching Williams confront his many personal demons with a television quack is like watching a car wreck or going to the freak show at the country fair. Sometimes, the odd, the uncomfortable and the unusual in life can be strangely compelling.
But watching Williams squirm while facing angry questioning from his kids was too much for me to take.
It seems inhumane to put this man on television and expose him to questions about his addictions and other problems that caused him to be homeless for almost 20 years.
I'm sure Dr. Phil didn't put a gun to Williams' head to appear on the show. Williams may, in fact, have even made a boatload of cash on the deal. But I'm here to say that in the long run, it won't be worth it.
With his long past of drug addiction, petty crime and general buffoonery, we know that decision-making is not Williams' strong suit. So if I have one wish for Williams, it is that he get a good advisor to help guide his thinking on future public appearances.
I mean who, in their right mind, suggested to him that going on national television with his bitterly estranged children so soon after achieving international fame was a good idea?
In fact, you can add a financial advisor, accountant and dentist to that list of folks that Williams should see before booking his next television appearance.
The only possible positive I've heard to come out of the "Dr. Phil" appearance is that Williams said he will check himself into a drug-alcohol rehab facility.
I'm sure it's not the first time Williams is trying to sober up. But with some hard work and a real desire for change, it just might work this time. If that happens, the shame and embarrassment Williams suffered on the show might be worthwhile.