Laura Schlessinger

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Image:Dr-Laura Schlessinger.jpg Laura Schlessinger (born January 16, 1947) is an American cultural and moral commentator, most known as host of the very popular Dr. Laura radio therapy call-in show. The show is nationally syndicated and runs three hours a day on weekdays.

Schlessinger is an outspoken critic of practices that she feels to have become too prevalent in contemporary American culture. These include: sex outside of marriage, living together before marriage (referred by her as "shacking up"), intentional single parenthood, daycare in lieu of mothers raising their own children, mothers working outside the home while the children are still young, marrying quickly or at a young age, permissive parenting, abortion, euthanasia, easy or no-fault divorce, and same-sex marriage. Her radio program often features short editorial monologues on these and other social and political topics, followed by her characteristically direct, no-nonsense, no-coddling responses to callers' questions and moral dilemmas.

She has also authored numerous self-help books, including the best-selling Ten Stupid Things Women Do to Mess Up Their Lives, and several religious books. The Proper Care and Feeding of Husbands has been her most successful. Her books are both controversial and extremely popular.

Contents

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Personal history

Born in 1947 in Brooklyn, New York to Monroe (Monty) Schlessinger and Yolanda Ceccovini Schlessinger, Laura Catherine Schlessinger grew up first in Brooklyn, then in Long Island, New York. She has described her childhood in a dysfunctional family as unpleasant, due to extended family rejection of her mixed-marriage parents (her father was a non-practicing Jew, while her mother was an Italian non-practicing Roman Catholic) and due to what she has described as an unloving environment.

She was an only child for eleven years until the birth of her sister, Cindy. An excellent student, Schlessinger, received a bachelor degree from the State University of New York at Stony Brook and a Ph.D. in Physiology from Columbia University. A brief marriage in her early twenties ended in divorce, and she moved to Los Angeles where her parents had resettled.

She received her certification in Marriage, Family and Child Counseling from University of Southern California (USC) and taught at University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), University of California, Irvine, and Pepperdine University. While working at USC, she met Dr. Lewis G. Bishop, who was married with dependent children. According to the subsequent divorce filings, they began an affair. They married eight years later, in early 1985, and he became her business manager. After the reversal of a tubal ligation, and later suffering an ectopic pregnancy, Schlessinger bore their only child Deryk Schlessinger in November 1985, when she was 38.

Schlessinger converted to Judaism in 1996, and she and her son Deryk joined the Conservative branch. Then in 1998 the entire family converted to Orthodox Judaism under Rabbi Reuven P. Bulka of Ottawa, Ontario. Schlessinger sometimes discussed religion on the show, giving examples from Judaism in order to illustrate resolutions of moral dilemas facing her callers, the vast majority of whom were not Jewish. She occasionally clarified ethical and moral issues with her local Orthodox Rabbi, Moshe D. Bryski, before mentioning them on the air. She was embraced by many in the politically conservative segment of Orthodox Judaism for bringing more awareness of Orthodoxy to her radio show. Schlessinger received a National Heritage award from the National Council of Young Israel in early 2001. Some of her expressed views were explicitly religious and found their way into her 1999 book The Ten Commandments: The Significance of God's Laws in Everyday Life, while many of her other views were purely secular in nature.

She has won awards from both media and conservative organizations, including the Marconi Award for Network/Syndicated Personality of the year, American Women in Radio & Television's Genii Award and National Heritage Award, and the National Religious Broadcasters' Chairman's Award. She also lectures on the national conservative circuit, and was the commencement speaker at Hillsdale College in June, 2003. Her son matriculated there the following fall; he subsequently left college and joined the United States Army under its 18x Special Forces contract program.

In July 2003, Schlessinger announced on her show that she was no longer an Orthodox Jew. In a series of monologues over the next month, she explained that she did not feel a connection with God and felt frustrated by the effort she had put into following the religion. She also mentioned envying the relationship with God described by her Christian fans.

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Radio show

Schlessinger's first radio engagement was as a call-in guest on the Bill Ballance show in 1974. Impressed by her quick wit and sense of humor, Ballance began featuring Schlessinger in a weekly segment. Eventually, she did her own shows on a series of small radio stations before landing her current show at KFI in Los Angeles.

The Dr. Laura Show was nationally syndicated in 1994. Schlessinger has characterized her show as a "moral health program" rather than as an "advice program". Her responses to callers usually display a trademark frankness and bluntness; she gets to the core of a caller's issue quickly rather than letting them talk for a long time. (Her approach has been likened to that of the highly successful Judge Judy television program. <ref> Wired News: Attack of the Killer Shrews - November 10, 1998 </ref>) The Dr. Laura Show is tied for fourth highest-rated talk radio show in the United States. At its peak, it was the second-highest-rated radio show after The Rush Limbaugh Show and was heard on 471 radio stations.

She sold ownership of the show to Jacor Communications, Inc. for $71 million. Jacor was then sold to Clear Channel Communications. KFI remains her flagship station but Schlessinger now broadcasts from her new home in Santa Barbara, California.

As of November 2003, her show is syndicated to 275 stations, down from its peak. Stations lost include ones such as the high-ratings, strong-signal WABC in New York <ref> Dr. Laura's Star Falling - David Hinckley, New York Daily News, May 2002 </ref>(it eventually resurfaced in New York on the low-visibility, underpowered Christian radio outlet WWDJ). Much of the lost syndication came on the heels of moderate-conservative talk show host Sean Hannity, whose show debuted nationwide in 2001 in the same time slot (3 PM EST, 12 PM PST). As of Fall 2004, her audience is estimated at eight million listeners. <ref> The Talk Radio Research Prooject - Talkers Magazine, Fall 2005 </ref> As of 2005, her show also airs on XM Satellite Radio.

In September 2002, the industry magazine Talkers named Laura Schlessinger as the 7th greatest radio talk show host of all time. <ref>Talkers Greatest 25 - September 2002 </ref> In April 2005, Schlessinger was nominated for induction into the Radio Hall of Fame <ref> National Radio Hall of Fame Announces 2005 Nominees - April 12, 2005 </ref> but was not selected for induction that year. <ref> National Radio Hall of Fame Names Class of 2005 - August 8, 2005 </ref>

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Television show

In 2000, Schlessinger signed a deal with Paramount Television to do a Dr. Laura television program. Thousands of critics, particularly led by gay activist groups such as the Stop Dr. Laura website, threatened to boycott sponsors in advance of the show. This led to skepticism and reluctance on the part of potential advertisers. When the television show finally debuted in September 2000, many critics and viewers found it dull in format and lacking the energy and interest of her radio show. <ref> A Case of the Creeps: 'Dr. Laura' on UPN Looks Better on Radio - Tom Shales, Washington Post, September 15, 2000 </ref>

In November 2000, most stations moved the show to a less desirable time slot or replaced it entirely after the show started with low ratings, which then declined. There was also little sponsor interest in the show during its first nine weeks. The show was cancelled in March 2001 due to poor ratings. <ref> CBS shoves Dr. Laura into late night slots, or dumps her - CNN, November 7, 2000 </ref>

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Publications

Schlessinger has published a number of books. Several follow the mold of her successful Ten Stupid Things Women Do to Mess Up Their Lives, with similarly named books giving advice for men, couples, and parents, others are more religious or moral in orientation. The later advice books emphasize religion more than the earlier works, until her announced departure from Orthodox Judaism in July, 2003.

Her most recent book, The Proper Care and Feeding of Husbands, has done extremely well. Many calls to the radio show discuss the new book and Schlessinger often refers to it. This latest work is a departure from her previous advice books - which tended to focus on pre-marital relationships and children. Proper Care asserts that men need direct comunication, respect, appreciation, food and good loving rather than tearing down the husband's sense of strength and importance. Her thesis is that wives have the power to change their husbands' attitudes by seeing to these needs, and then their husbands will "swim across shark infested waters to bring you lemonade." The book proposes that wives have the power to prompt devotion, compassion and love from their husbands. Critical reviews have been dismissive, but sales are very strong.

Advice Books

  • Ten Stupid Things Women Do to Mess Up Their Lives, February 1994
  • Ten Stupid Things Men Do to Mess Up Their Lives, September 1997
    • portions repackaged as Damsels, Dragons, & Regular Guys, March 2000
  • Parenthood by Proxy: Don't Have Them if You Can't Raise Them, April 2000
    • repackaged as Stupid Things Parents Do to Mess Up Their Kids, January 2001
  • Ten Stupid Things Couples Do to Mess Up Their Relationships, January 2002
  • The Proper Care and Feeding of Husbands, January 2004
  • Woman Power, July 2004 (a workbook to use with Proper Care...)
  • Bad Childhood Good Life: How to Blossom and Thrive in Spite of an Unhappy Childhood , January 2006

Religious Books

  • How Could You Do That?! The Abdication of Character, Courage, and Conscience, January 1996
  • The Ten Commandments: The Significance of God's Laws in Everyday Life with Rabbi Stuart Vogel, August 1998

Children's Books, with Martha Lewis Lambert, illustrated by Dan McFeely

  • Why Do You Love Me?, April 1999
  • But I Waaaaaaaant It!, April 2000
  • Growing Up is Hard, April 2001
  • Where's God?, April 2003

For several years, Schlessinger published a full-color 16 page monthly magazine, The Dr. Laura Perspective, but it has ceased publication.

She wrote a syndicated weekly column, carried in many newspapers as well as Jewish World Review, where archives are still available. She currently writes a monthly column for World Net Daily.

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Foundation

Schlessinger created The Dr. Laura Foundation, which helps abused and neglected children, in 1998. Schlessinger asks her on-air audience to donate items for "My Stuff" bags which go to children in need (often children who must leave their home with no possessions). All other donations comes from other people or groups, usually in the form of donated items for the bags. Per the foundation's reports, money not used for operations is directed toward pro-life organizations such as crisis pregnancy centers.

In September 2004, Schlessinger announced she was closing down the foundation by the end of the year. Her reason for ending the foundation's work, as given on her website and in an announcement to listeners, was to support adoption and abstinence.

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Opinions

Schlessinger often expresses her opinions on social topics during her radio program. Some are considered common sense: exercise personal responsibility, do not spend more than you have, do not become romantically involved with people who are clearly untrustworthy, leave abusive relationships immediately, and so forth.

Other opinions voiced are more controversial. The following are some of the opinions that she has stated on the air at least five times (when a year appears in parentheses after, it denotes the first time she has held that opinion, and that she did not address it prior to that year):

  • Children should be put in day care only if absolutely no other options exist.
  • Most two-paycheck couples work for luxury goods, not survival.
  • "Stay-at-home" moms make the best parents.
  • Mothers should stay at home with their child for the first three to five years, after which either the mother or the father should stay home.
  • Divorce, when there are children, should not occur without the presence of Abuse, Addiction, or Adultery (her "three A's").
  • Don't forgive those who wronged you unless they evince Remorse, Responsibility, and Repair (her "three R's").
  • Live-in arrangements outside marriage ("shack-ups") are immoral.
  • Couples who lived together before marrying are more likely to divorce.
  • Women who engage in sex outside marriage are "presenting themselves virtually as unpaid whores."
  • All contraception is unreliable. Therefore, couples should abstain from sex outside of marriage.
  • Teenage girls who wear croptops and other revealing outfits are "sluts". (1998)
  • Dating should not begin until age 17 or 18.
  • Couples should not marry until their late 20s.
  • Pre-marriage engagements should be lengthy. Couples should not marry unless they have been dating at least 2 years.
  • Parents who have divorced should not remarry until all children are over 18.
  • Adoption: Two-parent heterosexual families should be given priority, but single adults and gay couples have been supported on the show to adopt older and hard to place children. It's in the best interest of all children to have a stay-at-home parent.
  • Abortion constitutes murder, and should be performed only when the mother's life is in danger. (1996)
  • The pro-choice movement, especially Planned Parenthood, is evil and deceptive.
  • The National Education Association and the American Library Association want to allow children to access explicit materials online.
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Criticisms

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Name of show and qualifications

Schlessinger's Ph.D. is in physiology (not psychology), and some critics have characterized the show's name as deceptive.

She has mentioned that her degree is in physiology and that she is a licensed marriage therapist on her web site and during her show. Critics contend that she rarely mentions these facts on her show.

She says that she does not do "therapy" and often refers people to seek therapy outside the context of her show. She has received additional criticism because her California Marriage Family and Child Counseling (MFCC) license has been inactive for several years.(CA MFCC License Search Page) Further criticism arises because she often refers to herself as "a licensed therapist."

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View of homosexuality

Prior to 1997, Schlessinger was very supportive to gay callers during the show. In those years, she took issue with Christian religious leaders who were opposed to gay relationships, and said that it was cruel to deny love and happiness to gay couples. She renounced this view in 1997 and embraced the opposite view. Soon, her monologues approvingly mentioned groups who claimed they could help homosexuals "turn" heterosexual, and she attacked the American Psychological Association for condemning their stance.

Afterward, Schlessinger was frequently criticized in the gay community for her view of homosexuality as a "biological error" and for her opposition to adoption by gay parents. On December 8, 1998 she stated:

I'm sorry — hear it one more time, perfectly clearly: If you're gay or a lesbian, it's a biological error that inhibits you from relating normally to the opposite sex. The fact that you are intelligent, creative and valuable is all true. The error is in your inability to relate sexually intimately, in a loving way to a member of the opposite sex — it is a biological error.

On, May 10, 2000, The Canadian Broadcast Standards Council (CBSC) ruled that

her consistent characterization (in episodes reviewed) of the sexual behavior of gays and lesbian as "abnormal", "aberrant", "deviant", "disordered", "dysfunctional", and "an error" constituted abusive discrimination on the basis of their sexual orientation. As a result, Schlessinger's comments were determined to be in violation of the human rights provision of the CAB Code of Ethics.

The CBSC found similar fault with her generalized statements that pedophilia is more prevalent among members of the gay community. However, the CBSC also ruled that,

in a number of other areas complained of, notably the issues relating to the gay agenda, gay culture, fatherless homes and the issues surrounding the murder of Matthew Shepard, Schlessinger's comments could not reasonably be interpreted on these various episodes as being in violation of either Clause 2 or 6 of the CAB Code of Ethics. <ref> Feature Film Strip Tease Breaches No Broadcast Codes, Says Broadcast Standards Council - Candadian Broadcast Standards Council, May 2000 </ref>

Over the next year, most Canadian stations carrying the show dropped it.

Schlessinger attempted to repair the breach with the gay community without success. Her March 2000 public apology on her radio show was withdrawn two weeks later when it was not whole-heartedly accepted. In October 2000, Schlessinger paid for a full-page ad in the "Gay Hollywood" issue of Variety, as a Yom Kippur apology for previous negative remarks.

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Hypocrisy as asserted by her critics

Schlessinger's current advocacy of high moral standards is often contrasted by critics with her past, given that

  • she is divorced
  • she dated a married man with three children, who, subsequently, left his wife for her
  • she posed nude for a boyfriend/supervisor when she was in her 20s, who in 1998 posted the pictures on the Internet. <ref>Dr. Laura Dishes on Nude Photos - Marcus Errico, E!, November 4, 1998 </ref>
  • she converted to Orthodox Judaism and then left it two years later.
  • she was estranged from her now-deceased mother
  • she remains estranged from her sister

Supporters counter that

  • these events (excepting her conversion to and departure from Judaism) occurred before Schlessinger adopted and began speaking about her later moral views
  • they give her "real world" experience - she knows what she's talking about
  • detractors mention them because they fit their personal agenda of impeaching her as a moral authority

Schlessinger has often said that a hypocrite says "Do what I say, not what I do" rather than, as she says, "Do what I say, not what I did." <ref> (see [1]) Dr. Laura - NPR interview, October 3, 1998 </ref>

In December 2002, Schlessinger's mother Yolanda was found dead in her condominium, her body having been there for months. Despite the fact that Schlessinger publicly acknowledged that she was estranged from and did not communicate with her mother critics claimed hypocrisy because of Schlessinger's advice to callers telling them to "honor thy father and mother". Schlessinger often said that her not speaking to her mother was her mother's choice. Template:Citation needed

Some critics found fault that despite her claims to be an Orthodox Jew, she was entering sailboat races on Saturdays, the Jewish sabbath.

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Catchphrases and quotations

  • "And me, I am my kid's mom." - said at the beginning of every show after introducing the rest of the support staff.
  • "I am the proud mother of an American soldier." - variant of above.
  • "Now, go take on the day!" - said to close every show (early years).
  • "Now, go do the right thing!" - said to close every show (later years).
  • "I brought my son up to be a warrior."
  • "I think what he's doing is so important, and so noble, that I'm willing to face what I need to face. I'm so proud to have produced someone with such character – willing to put his life on the line."
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Dr. Laura in pop culture

In the sixth season of the TV show Frasier, Dr. Laura was parodied in an episode called "Dr. Nora" (played by Christine Baranski). The Dr. Nora character, with biographical details similar to that of Schlessinger, is hired by Frasier to follow up his show on the radio. However, Dr. Nora has a very biting tone, telling a woman who was sleeping with a man before marriage to "keep your knees together." Dr. Laura had originally sponsored Frasier, but publicly pulled her support from the show because she disagreed with the series' tacit endorsement of pre-marital sex.

In a second-season episode of the television show The West Wing entitled "The Midterms", Dr. Laura is parodied as the fictional character Dr. Jenna Jacobs, especially in a conversation with President Bartlet revolving around her academic qualifications and the consequences of a literal interpretation of Leviticus regarding homosexuality - referring to Dr. Laura's characterization of homosexuality as a "biological error." <ref>Asymmetrical Information blog - March 14, 2003 </ref>

In November 1997 the popular webcomic Sluggy Freelance introduced Dr. Lorna, a parody of Dr. Laura.

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References

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Notes

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External links

de:Laura Schlessinger

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