Therapy TV Style
At the age of 93, I find that my means of getting where I wanted to be in life coincided with those of Phil McGraw (“Paging Doctor Phil,” Sept. 2). His brief but direct approach to a problem is generally on target and provides wise counsel for overcoming it successfully. Basically Dr. Phil is urging people to help themselves: to persevere and not be intimidated by what seems impossible. Let him know that there is someone with a little life experience who thinks as he does. Murray Shaw Phoenix, Ariz.
When I was a private therapist, most days I was tougher on my clients than Dr. Phil could ever dream of being. However, the key is to know when to be tough, and to balance it with other methods. Therapists should employ different techniques with their clients depending on where they are and what they need. What Dr. Phil dishes up to people across the board may not necessarily suit everyone. Although every patient needs to be told to “get real” at some point and many need a gentle push, it must be delivered at the right moment or it can be devastating. To attempt to engage in sound-bite therapy is dangerous. Susan J. Elliott Certified Grief Counselor and Former Crisis Clinician Antioch, Calif.
Every so often a self-help guru like Dr. Phil comes along and sells the idea that his “unique” brand of therapy can fix everyone’s complex emotional problems in 30 seconds. What astounds me are the people who buy into this nonsense. Dr. Phil knows one thing for sure: most people are followers who will eat up anything spoon-fed to them by the current flavor-of-the-month therapist. Don Cestone Encino, Calif.
When men were from mars and women from Venus and we were all asking about the color of our parachutes, I was OK and you were OK. Sure, things might have been a bit touchy-feely, but nobody got hurt–and nobody believed that he or she was paging the “doctor” either. But now we have Dr. Phil and the teleprompter. The good doctor claims that what he gives isn’t therapy, “[it’s] education. It’s a wake-up call.” Education in what? Unbridled arrogance or the transient imperfections of capitalism? The cloying need for ratings approval and the lust for money masquerading as altruism remind me of something my Irish grandfather once said: “Talk’s cheap. Good whisky costs money.” With every two steps forward in this effort to help and to educate, a Jerry Springer-like approach to mental health takes us one huge step back. John P. Farrell Minneapolis, Minn.
I read with pleasure your enlightening story on Dr. Phil. He is an in-your-face, no-nonsense therapist who makes you take responsibility for your own situations or choices. However, I take exception to the characterization of Marianne Williamson as a guru who has turned self-help into a “crutch.” Williamson is any—thing but that. She is a proponent of self-examination and responsibility. She just approaches it from a spiritual point of view, rather than a practical one. Joan A. Bang Wayne, PA.
It’s a good thing Dr. Phil will be on TV for five days a week. He might be able to help some of the 39 million Americans who have no health insurance. Bill Huey Atlanta, GA.
The Divisive Issue of Iraq
It angers me that war is taken so lightly among a small group of politically opportunistic bullies (“Hawks, Doves and Dubya,” Sept. 2). My father survived the beaches of Normandy in a “good war,” yet was so affected by the human tragedy that he never spoke of it again in the remaining 50 years of his life. My own generation was ravaged by Vietnam. War should not be used for political gain–not when young lives (on both sides) are at stake. It should be used only when other means have failed and with allied support. Bombing a nation of more than 16 million people may not be best way to remove one man, no matter how “evil” he may be. These words come not from a liberal Democrat, but from one of those moderate Republicans who believe in fiscal and compassionate conservatism; President Bush should not forget that we are also those soccer moms who helped get Bill Clinton elected. Robin Albing Readington, N.J.
Indecisiveness in the Bush administration on Iraq could prove fatal to millions of innocent people. Who knows how many weapons of mass destruction Saddam Hussein has cooked up in his evil kitchen of genocide? It is not a question of if, but when, he will use such weapons. President Bush will have to face the Iraqi threat sooner or later. It might as well be sooner. Rick Schreiner Pasadena, Calif.
I am appalled by the breakdown of high-ranking hawks and doves in the debate over invading Iraq. Of the six hawks profiled in NEWSWEEK, only one was ever in the armed forces. Of the six doves, at least two are combat veterans, and one, Colin Powell, is a decorated war hero. The conclusion is obvious: Bush should listen to the advisers who know what they are talking about–the ones who have seen American servicemen die in combat. Carl Hoffman Cleveland Heights, Ohio
Fareed Zakaria argues that the United States should provoke Iraq so that we have an excuse to attack (“To Fire on Iraq, Use a Trigger,” Sept. 2). This is hardly surprising, given the hawks’ buzzing over their Iraqi prey. Their reasoning is this: if Iraq doesn’t already have nuclear weapons, it will get them soon, so why not attack now? But since the Bush team doesn’t have the support of other countries for an attack, Zakaria seems to imply we should trick everyone into it. Don’t “civilized” nations have better ways of dealing with rogue states than to bomb them? It’s increasingly hard to distinguish between us “good guys” who threaten others with bombs, and the “bad guys” who are trying to acquire them. Ann Morrissett Davidon Philadelphia, Pa.
Poor and Huddled Masses
Kudos to NEWSWEEK for a fine article on the Bantu people of Somalia who have been declared refugees (“Following Freedom’s Trail,” Sept. 2). The article ex-cellently describes the incredible level of poverty and persistent ethnic prejudices that exist in part of the world. America is a beacon of hope to many people and, despite anti-Americanism abroad, many clamor to come here. Your article is the kind that makes me proud to be an American. I’ll be even prouder if we as a society are able to welcome the Bantus with kindness and generosity, doing all we can so these downtrodden people will have a new life of hope. SooSang Park Norristown, Pa.
Your story on the Somali Bantus has left me with a deep desire to help these broken people. What better time is there to welcome and aid truly needy Muslims than at the height of Islamic xenophobia? As we patriotically introduce them to the American dream, I hope we can reclaim the values of acceptance and tolerance that our country has always stood for. Tom Busler Scott Air Force Base, Ill.
To avoid culture shock at both ends, couldn’t a country similar to the Bantus’ in culture, language, religion and climate take them in? For the same amount of money that it will cost Americans to relocate and rehabilitate these unfortunate people, the Bantus could receive excellent care, good education and job training, comfortable accommodations and a lot less culture shock. The best way to get off the ground is to slowly and steadily climb the ladder, rather than leap directly to the out- of-sight, possibly unstable, top rung. Elliot and Elaine Deutsch Bel Air, Md.
Water, Inc.
Before Americans allow their water supply to fall into the hands of private-sector profiteers, they should look closely at the effect of a privatized water supply on the quality of life in developing countries (“Wildcatting for Water,” Sept. 2). Having spent more than 12 years in the developing world, I have seen firsthand what happens when water–the most vital element in sustaining human life–is treated like a market commodity. In those countries, only the rich can afford to have water that is safe to drink. Even if people are lucky enough to get water from the aqueduct (communities often receive no water, even though they have plumbing), it usually requires boiling to be drinkable, and may even be unsuitable for bathing. A water company that is not accountable to the public can decide at will to release water to some areas but not others. Most important, expensive water will lead to poor hygiene, disease and an even greater gap between the rich and the poor. Is this the future we want? Elizabeth Lara New York, N.Y.
A New Israeli Voice
Amram Mitzna, the new labor party candidate for prime minister of Israel, is quoted as saying that “using more force will lead us to nothing. You must take a political initiative” ("‘Sharon’s Government Is Leading Us Nowhere’," Sept. 2). Mitzna seems to have forgotten about the “political initiative” taken by the previous prime minister, who happens to have been from Mitzna’s own party. The quote and article make it sound as if there was no “political initiative,” no Camp David negotiations and no offers of a settlement of the conflict. In fact, it was the lack of a positive response to these negotiations, and the Palestinian terrorist attacks, including suicide bombings, that are the reasons for violence. Aharon Goldberg Hatzor Haglilit, Israel
