Ellen DeGeneres vs. Mutts and Moms - who is the victim?
I don't quite know what to think about this.
So, basically Ellen adopted a puppy from this agency. She had it neutered and trained and what-not, but when it was clear that the puppy wouldn't get along with her cats, she gave the dog to a friend's family. The family has two daughters, 11 and 12 who over the course of 2 weeks, bonded with the dog, obviously.
Anyway, when the adoption agency ("Mutts and Moms") caught wind of the fact that Ellen had given the dog away, they came to the family's house and took the dog back indicating that Ellen had violated the terms of the adoption.
After all this happened, Ellen got on her nationally-syndicated morning talk show and gave this tearful plea.
You'd have to be a robot not to feel for her and the family at least a little bit after hearing this. My question though, is why did she really give this speech? Was she really that distraught over the family loosing the dog or was she just pissed at the adoption agency because they wouldn't give Ellen her way?
Ellen is a performer. She's professionally trained to connect with audiences and invoke emotional responses in her viewers. That's her job. Were we being worked? Was she purposely trying to sic the public at large on the "Mutts and Moms" agency simply for revenge? Unfortunately, to me that seems to be the likely case. I believe that, if she wanted to, Ellen could have settled things quietly and gotten the dog back quite easily. She certainly has enough money and power to do so.
I'm not denying that the agency taking the dog away from the family was a shitty thing to do (unless, of course the family wasn't taking care of it), but by having that outburst on national television, Ellen was putting the people who work for that agency in danger. We all know how crazy some people can get when they're rallied around some idea or cause. Especially people who are sitting home watching daytime television. As sad or angry as Ellen was, I'm positive that she understood the gravity of what she was doing and what the consequences could be. It was a very irresponsible thing for any broadcaster to do. At least when Don Imus called the Rutgers basketball team "knappy-headed hos" he said it knowing that the anger at the comment would be directed at himself, not anybody else.
I'm no regular viewer of the Ellen DeGeneres show, but I must admit that I used to enjoy her stand-up. She always seemed like a really down-to-earth, nice person to me. I guess fame and money will eventually change anyone though.
If that family really was a good home for the puppy, I certainly hope they get the dog back, but I think Ellen just made the situation worse by doing what she did.
So, basically Ellen adopted a puppy from this agency. She had it neutered and trained and what-not, but when it was clear that the puppy wouldn't get along with her cats, she gave the dog to a friend's family. The family has two daughters, 11 and 12 who over the course of 2 weeks, bonded with the dog, obviously.
Anyway, when the adoption agency ("Mutts and Moms") caught wind of the fact that Ellen had given the dog away, they came to the family's house and took the dog back indicating that Ellen had violated the terms of the adoption.
After all this happened, Ellen got on her nationally-syndicated morning talk show and gave this tearful plea.
You'd have to be a robot not to feel for her and the family at least a little bit after hearing this. My question though, is why did she really give this speech? Was she really that distraught over the family loosing the dog or was she just pissed at the adoption agency because they wouldn't give Ellen her way?
Ellen is a performer. She's professionally trained to connect with audiences and invoke emotional responses in her viewers. That's her job. Were we being worked? Was she purposely trying to sic the public at large on the "Mutts and Moms" agency simply for revenge? Unfortunately, to me that seems to be the likely case. I believe that, if she wanted to, Ellen could have settled things quietly and gotten the dog back quite easily. She certainly has enough money and power to do so.
I'm not denying that the agency taking the dog away from the family was a shitty thing to do (unless, of course the family wasn't taking care of it), but by having that outburst on national television, Ellen was putting the people who work for that agency in danger. We all know how crazy some people can get when they're rallied around some idea or cause. Especially people who are sitting home watching daytime television. As sad or angry as Ellen was, I'm positive that she understood the gravity of what she was doing and what the consequences could be. It was a very irresponsible thing for any broadcaster to do. At least when Don Imus called the Rutgers basketball team "knappy-headed hos" he said it knowing that the anger at the comment would be directed at himself, not anybody else.
I'm no regular viewer of the Ellen DeGeneres show, but I must admit that I used to enjoy her stand-up. She always seemed like a really down-to-earth, nice person to me. I guess fame and money will eventually change anyone though.
If that family really was a good home for the puppy, I certainly hope they get the dog back, but I think Ellen just made the situation worse by doing what she did.