Why is it that people tend to find joy in personally humiliating someone else? Is it because the offender is himself unhappy and wants to make someone else suffer along side his private pain? I’m sure I’ve heard the physcho-analysis once or twice. But it does make sense. Reportedly, George Michael humiliated Dr. Phil and his wife at a recent concert (State side tour) by pointing out the phsycologists miserable face and that he should see someone about that. George made an initial comment that ’it would be too mean of him to even bring it up’ (it, being the comment) but yet he began to talk about both McGraw’s, enjoyed the escalating boos directed towards Dr. Phil, and concluded with telling Dr. Phil he needed to “see someone about that”.
I lose respect, if I had any to begin with, for George Michael and other perpetrators in humiliation when they engage in this business and some how they still get positive reinforcement. The crowd went along with him and began booing the McGraws. Are we still in middle school? I’m seriously asking that question. Does the game of ‘wanting to belong’ never end? And the onlookers may not be any better. Going along with the crowd, knowing that the cool kid did something wrong but hoping that if we look the other way we won’t be lumped into the pot of victims on their ‘hit list’ is not just an adolescent phenomenon.
I’m not in the work force right now and I assume any of you who are may see this thing happen more often than I do but I can remember it happening when I was teaching… amongst teachers!
What would the world be like if we could just be who we felt comfortable being?
2 Comments
June 28, 2008 at 4:58 pm
Hi!
You know… it was a *joke*! It wasn’t a comment that was designed to “humiliate” anyone. As for the crowd boo-ing: that was just pantomime boo-ing of Dr Phil; and, in fact, pantomime cheering of his wife.
July 8, 2008 at 8:27 am
Wow, interesting post! I hadn’t heard of this incident.. or what is going on with the McGraws aside from the front of a tabloid in the grocery line the other day. Anyway, I agree that it is immature of George Micheal (how did he even get on that topic during a concert anyway?!), but I have to say that Dr Phil himself is in the business of humiliating people.. if you think about it, that is what he does, that is why people watch him.. what he does is not therapy, it is more like stoning. Shaming people to motivate them to change is just as immature as George Micheal. This is just one occasion where the one usually holding the gun is shot.