I usually avoid writing about anything as obvious as "Britney Spears is fucked up" but a particular headline caught my eye as I was flicking through news sites. For those who are interested, the process I usually follow when putting together an "Angry News" video for YouTube starts with looking through the major news sites.

I look for something that gets my attention. It might be an important story but, to be honest, more often than not it's a stupid story. Or at best a "quirky" one. Often what gets me is if there's some sort of apparent contradiction in expectations in the headline (a tip of the hat to shrewd sub-editors everywhere). Priests brawling in Jesus' birthplace. Dick Cheney cuddling a pussy cat. That sort of thing.

So last night the one that caught my eye was "Dr Phil says Britney Spears needs psychological intervention". Of course, the obvious reaction is "No shit, Sherlock." So I ignored it and kept looking but I could not get it out of my head. Has there ever been a headline that stated the fucking obvious as if it was an insight more than that one? Was there some sort of competition in the newsroom to come up with the most fucked headline imaginable?

And then there was the fact that the story embodied so many things that piss me off. The degeneration of media into shallow crap. The obsession with celebrity. Fucked up people who have every privilege imaginable yet still self-destruct (try talking to someone who has REAL problems). Fucked up people like Dr Phil stating the blindingly obvious. And the pathetic notion that we all need some self-appointed TV expert to solve our problems. As opposed to, you know, taking some personal responsibility.

And so I decided to channel all of that frustration into a video. Let me make this clear first: I'm not really ragging on Britney Spears at all. She's a fucking basket case. Spending any time dwelling on that would just be cruel. And while I'm frequently cruel, I don't feel like spending time on it today.

No, the target of my ire he is Dr Phil. Maybe I'm being too harsh on him. Maybe it's the media idiots responsible for focusing on his blindingly obvious statement. But I don't really give a shit. Is this blog called "Reasonable 365 days a year"? I think not. Eat shit Dr Phil.


http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=lXd9oJhjhCE