As a fellow southwestern drunk, cheers to that dudeski

Maybe "smart" was too simple. Instead let's go with "politically aware enough to care, rich/connected enough to make a change, and smart enough to know when to act". Kind of a big ask, I know, but it I know plenty of people who are missing at least one of those three

Definitely agree on wanting to kick his head though

I thought the same thing about Trump.

I honestly believe that part of the crisis in mental health care that’s universal across southern states is that therapists seem to think that therapy is supposed to look like his show.

I went through the hell of a troubled teen program - like the kid diddling Turnabout Ranch he sent kids to - and so much of my experiences with psychological care have been an attempt to force me into being something more “socially acceptable.” Not recognizing that my brain works differently than others, not helping me find coping strategies, but just telling me “you need more grit and to force yourself to make eye contact!”

His show presents bullying as “mental health care” - and this has seriously hampered the practice.

I wouldn't say that. I can picture him doing that in basically any century since the invention of the wagon

Oprah is who made Dr. Phil and Dr. Oz public figures. She made them famous on her show.

Edit:

[Dr. Phil] McGraw rose to fame with appearances on The Oprah Winfrey Show in the late 1990s. Oprah Winfrey then helped McGraw launch his own advice show, Dr. Phil, in September 2002.

In 2003, Oprah Winfrey was the first guest on the Discovery Channel series Second Opinion with Dr. Oz, and he was a regular guest on The Oprah Winfrey Show, making more than sixty appearances. In 2009, The Dr. Oz Show, a daily television program about medical matters and health, was launched by Winfrey's Harpo Productions and Sony Pictures Television, running for 13 seasons.

DING, DING, DING, we have a winner!

Show me on this doll where the doctor kissed you.

Used to give me suckers as a kid. Not anymore.

I can see your point, but I respectfully disagree. I find the desert to fairly beautiful, and at least Bakersfield and Stockton have more of a small-town feel. IMO, LA combines all the negatives of Stockton and Bakersfield into one plasticized, superficial mess; LA's better at covering up their flaws, but there's a certain authenticity in owning your blemishes.

Stockton makes the list but not Fresno or Methdesto?

At least Barstow is close enough to Victorville that it makes dumping corpses easy. I was born in Redlands, I have little good to say about the rest of SoCal. Better than Idaho though.