I would guess most of us are probably aware that “notorious party girl” (the words of an ABC News anchor) Lindsay Lohan’s legal troubles continued yesterday in a Los Angeles courtroom, where she was found in violation of her probation for missing a court date and ordered to wear an alcohol detecting ankle bracelet, attend substance abuse classes and remain in Los Angeles, despite the fact she is working on a project in Texas.
Now I have nothing whatsoever to say about the decisions of the court. Ms. Lohan obviously failed to live up to the terms of her probation, a situation that apparently has been going on for some time. That’s her problem and her responsibility.
However, I take umbrage with the dishonorable and uninformed opinions on the subject of Ms. Lohan spouted by Celebrity Rehab’s “Dr. Drew” Pinsky on the Larry King show last night. Mr. Pinsky, along with a representative of the Los Angeles District Attorney’s office and Mark Geragos, overrated attorney extraordinaire, were invited to Mr. King’s show to discuss Ms. Lohan and the recent events surrounding her life.
The attorneys were professional and unremarkable in sharing their legal analysis of her situation. But Mr. Pinsky, who to my knowledge has never personally diagnosed Ms. Lohan, had a number of outrageous opinions to share with America, despite the fact that he has no personal knowledge of the real facts of this woman’s life. In response to some Mr. King’s questions, Mr. Pinsky was heard to remark, “She’s an addict… she’s not thinking clearly. She doesn’t have the usual priorities that the rest of us do… how far down is she going to have to go?”
This isn’t the first time this fraud has shared his opinions on Ms. Lohan’s life. In a famous “warning” he issued in 2009, Mr. Pinsky said:
"I'm convinced that she'll get sober one day. But I'm afraid that between now and then, she may get a nearly mortal wound of some type. I'm really convinced that something horrible is going to have to happen to her before she really gets over it and embraces sobriety. She needs to give it up. And it's going to be a while before she does. I have this image that she's going to lose a limb or something before she does. And it scares me."
Who does this guy think he is? No matter how well intentioned, his opinions are irresponsible, uninformed and slanderous. To go around calling someone you don’t really know an “addict” is the height of recklessness, especially from a person who is supposed to observe the highest ethical standards. Would we tolerate a doctor diagnosing an individual as insane on national television without having ever conducted any kind of medical investigation into this fact? Of course we wouldn’t. But because the subject is addiction and this guy presumably is motivated by a desire to help poor, suffering Lindsay, he gets an incomprehensible pass. (But what are his real motivations? They couldn’t possibly be related to his burgeoning career, could they?) And what in the world is this “image” he had of her losing a limb? Please Doctor Soothsayer, look into your crystal ball and tell me my future. Very scientific, so professional.
The facts of Lindsay Lohan’s life are completely irrelevant, most importantly because none of us really know anything about it. What is at issue here is far more important. Just say no to Doctor Drew Pinsky: quack with a soapbox.
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