Everybody Loves Bloviating
March 23, 2005
Who should I get in touch with to be interviewed on television for my insight on the Schiavo situation? My credentials are as follows: no formal education in medicine, never met the Schiavo family, never seen Terri Schiavo in person, and know only about her condition what I’ve seen on television.
I’m asking because I just saw Patricia Heaton, of Everybody Loves Raymond fame, on Entertainment Tonight offering her opinions on Terri Schiavo’s condition. She told us that Michael Schiavo is a “disaffectionate husband with dubious motives.” She says that it is “very clear” that Terri Schiavo’s husband does not have her best interests at heart. She does this as though, for some reason, she has some information or insight that is useful in some way to the American public.
But Patricia Heaton doesn’t know anything about this family. She isn’t a doctor. She isn’t qualified to give medical advice. But ET interviewed her anyway, so I can only assume that since we are equally qualified, I’m also a good candidate to spout my opinions on TV. And I’m sure that ET must be looking for someone, since at no time during the two-part segment with Heaton did they provide any divergent viewpoint or ask any questions of Heaton that weren’t complete pandering.
I understand that expecting journalistic integrity of Entertainment Tonight is sort of like asking a press contact from McDonald’s to impart sound dietary advice. Nonetheless, the fact that an actor would take advantage of their celebrity status to freely speak ill of Michael Schiavo was completely stunning to me. If Patricia Heaton doesn’t like the law, she should try to get the law changed. She shouldn’t use other peoples’ suffering as a crutch to prop up her career now that her brainless sitcom is over.