Take some time to enjoy my view
I’m writing this post to the now-unemployed Rosie O’Donnell.Consider it a message from one overly opinionated Irish American blogger to another.Â
Ro, I’m so disappointed in you. And I say this as someone who normally agrees with you and can’t believe Elisabeth’s blind faith in the president or his war.Â
I’d write an open letter to Elisabeth, too, but I don’t think she’s Irish and I don’t she would get it. Afterall, this is the same woman who believes we’re safer after invading Iraq. (Though I should say I normally agree with EH’s views on Dancing with the Stars, American Idol and gluten.)
But I digress. Back to the issue at hand.
Rosie, I loved what you *and* Elisabeth brought to The View. Lively, unapolgetic, female opinion. But I hate how you left the table: Emotional, petty, mean.
Basically, I think the whole messy spat — including the incident in which your producer drew a moustache on a photo of Elisabeth — is disparaging to women. The View is the one show in which women talk about world events, politics, etc. from the viewpoint of mothers, sisters, friends. And what did you and Elisabeth do with this opportunity? You acted as if women can’t have a reasonable debate without it being swept up by emotion, personal insults or petty adolescent behavior. You weren’t arguing about Iraq or terrorist troops. You were arguing about your frienship. On national television. The country is in the midst of a war that is dividing the nation and angering foreign allies. And what do you let the debate spiral into? A yelling match over who was cowardly to whom.
Â
Then your producer defaces a picture of EH, as if she’s 12 and you applaud. You seem like a big ‘ol Bully — which casts all women with strong opinions in a bad light.
Â
Quitting the View also suggests women can’t have strong opinions without personal feelings get in a way. Ro, you let your emotions and bruised ego get the best of you. It’s sad and demoralizing. Â
That said, the spat did give us the best Web moment of 2007: I loved when you used your blog to liken the fight to the Sound of Music, an awesomely bizarre metaphor in which Rosie is Leisel and Elisabeth is that Rolf, that Nazi-worshipping cutey patootie. It may have been the petty move of woman acting like she’s 16 going on 17, but it was inspired nevertheless.
May 29th, 2007 at 6:34 pm
I couldn’t agree more. Rosie did not exit this incident with dignity. She needs to get over herself. And she needs to keep more of her private thoughts private. She’s not helping any cause with actions like this.
May 29th, 2007 at 8:33 pm
Rosie had me until the moustache incident. Immaturiy in its highest form.
May 31st, 2007 at 10:21 am
It’s taken me a a few days to decide how I feel about this. At first, I agreed with this post. It did seem to be a shame that she left the way she did, and I was disappointed in her. Perhaps it did make women look bad, as if they can’t discuss Important Topics without becoming emotional. But after I thought about it some more, I came to the conclusion that for me it is refreshingly real. For many women, myself included, the political is personal. It is impossible for me to hold a political discussion and stay rationally detached, especially when you are talking about people dying every day and watching politicians turn the country you love turn into a hateful place that tortures people and locks them up for years and years without a lawyer or their day in court. If you want to watch a woman discuss topics like this rationally and without emotion, watch Cokie Roberts. Yawn. I’ll take Rosie and her passion. She’s a real person who felt betrayed and that The View was taking advantage of her with the split screen stunt, and she had the self confidence to say “I will not be treated this way.” I think holding her responsible for how the public views all women with strong opinions is unfair. Rosie never asked for that responsiblity. Oprah’s the one you want for that. For me, a better analogy is that Rosie was in an abusive relationship, and rather than stick it out and not make waves, or worry about what the neighbors would think, she did what’s best for her and got out. And that is a lesson many, many women should heed.
May 31st, 2007 at 12:48 pm
Daniel,
You make a lot of good points, though I would argue that Rosie revels in her self-appointed role as America’s conscience. If the split screen were the only reason Rosie left, I would agree with you. She had the confidence to say “I won’t be treated this way,” but then showed the immaturity to post rude comments about Elisabeth on her blog and condone moustache drawing. Her plan seems as if hatched by a strong, self-respecting woman, but she executed it like she was a nasty, junior high bully.
As for a comparison to Oprah, Rosie has tried to become the Irish-American Oprah for more than a decade. When Oprah’s show became “positive,” Rosie became the Queen of Nice. When Oprah became a magazine mogul, Rosie started her own rag and ran the former McCall’s into the ground. Once Oprah started to tackle world issues on her show, Rosie joined The View.
Roise facilitated a national dialogue on many topics. She made TV better and deserves credit for that. She also showed an intolerance for any feelings or opinions other than her own and she shoulders responsibility for that, too.
May 31st, 2007 at 2:28 pm
As far as condoning the mustache, I seem to recall the support and camaraderie of a close friend during a passion-filled moment during my college years. Janette’s mustache drawing was the equivalent of whipping out a Zippo and threatening to torch the place, and I for one empathize. What would you prefer Rosie do? Hold a press conference and “distance herself” from Janette? Or say, “Thanks, friend. I know you always got my back, and I appreciate it.”
Nellie’s comparisons of Rosie to Oprah are pretty thin (the Irish-American Oprah? Did Rosie have a manufactured “Crash” moment at Harrod’s in Paris? Has Rosie gone to Ireland to build an overpriced summer camp for disadvantaged young lasses? Has Rosie ever held a primetime extravaganza featuring Legends of Ireland?), and I urge her to actually read the history of McCall’s, Gruner + Jahr, and Rosie Magazine, instead of trying to massage the facts to fit her punchy premise.
The bottom line is that life is complicated, and Rosie is a complex, smart, funny, overly sensitive, passionate, thin-skinned, grudge-holding, loving, bitchy, fiercely loyal woman. The episode cannot be boiled down to one central conflict, one black-and-white “she shouldn’t have left the way she did” judgment, big-bad-bully Rosie vs. whomever soundbite, as much as Nellie, Entertainment Tonight, and Access Hollywood would like to. She made people talk. She opened people’s eyes. She got her feelings hurt. She had to decide what was most important to her. She didn’t make a graceful exit; she let her raw feelings guide her. She’s a human being with faults and foibles, and she shouldn’t be crucified in the media or demonized on blogs because of it.
May 31st, 2007 at 6:41 pm
At the end of the day Rosie and her far left friends are nuts! They base their foundations of the war on a US Govt that is after them, when the left only wants a bigger government which would include more controls over all of us. Additionally, this country is safer based on increased focus on the borders, fighting the idiots where they thrive, train and drive funding. Would we rather have it in the states…I think not.
Rosy was a one sided nightmare and it was a breath of fresh air to see someone on the view take a stand against her fully left leaning views. Maybe now the ladies will be able to have a serious conversation about important matters without the “Bush Bashing” parade.
I would also like to add that it is not American’s that are so divided, but an inept government on both sides that is driving American’s apart. There is nothing wrong to lean right or left, but to make decisions on one’s political gain is what our reps are doing and that is what is driving people in the US apart. I think we all want the best for this country we just need to stop voting for poloticians and vote for someone who understands the US needs, which are ultimatley good for the rest of the world.
June 1st, 2007 at 11:50 am
Al Aqaeda wasn’t training or taking root in Iraq before the invasion. It is now. You’re doing a heckuva job, Bushie.
But back to Daniel’s point, I agree Roise is complex, smart, funny, overly sensitive, passionate, thin-skinned, grudge-holding, loving, bitchy, fiercely loyal woman. But she was also sniveling, condescending and intolerant to anyone who didn’t share her view on the war. She openly questioned Elisabeth’s intelligence, calling her too young to understand and doubting whether she could hold two concepts at one time. Why would Elisabeth defend her given the “friendship” Rosie showed her.
June 1st, 2007 at 12:43 pm
I’m no fan of Elisabeth’s politics, but if anyone were being abused, it was her. I started fast-forwarding every time Rosie talked down to Elisabeth, and lately I was fast-forwarding a lot. Rosie’s hyperbole hurts the cause. And now, since she left early, all we’re talking about is her exit. I wish she had finished out her contract so we could remember her views instead of her pettiness. And in defense of The View, they wouldn’t have had to use the split screen if those women wouldn’t constantly talk over each other. But I also agree with Joy — they should have gone to commercial long before they did.
June 25th, 2007 at 1:24 pm
The last point sums this discussion up best…”should have went to commercial before they did.” Do you not think that was by design?? 10 comments on whether or not Rosie and Elisabeth played nice and who is right and who is wrong. Publicity is a tremendous thing…it drew more attention than the resignation of Blair or any other post on this blog for that matter. If we have reached the day where we care more about what Rosie has to say than something with a bit more importance in this world, like……well, I guess that would be just about anything…..than we are in for rough times.