So there's been a lot of discord in the nursing world the last couple days due to a few comments made by the ladies of The View in regards to the Miss America pageant, specifically about how Miss Colorado wore nursing scrubs during the talent portion and spoke a monologue about how being a nurse is her talent. Snarky comments were apparently made regarding her "nursing costume," and there was confusion amongst the hosts as to why she had donned a "doctor's stethoscope." It's gone so far as to flood my Facebook feed with all sorts of "Show Your Stethoscope" memes, and I even got invited to some event encouraging people to boycott watching The View on October 15th in support of nursing. Easy enough...I don't watch that show anyway. I can't help but wonder...will this issue still be an issue by October 15th? By next week even?
I didn't watch the Miss America competition, nor did I see the episode of The View that everyone is talking about. I didn't see the apology episode where apparently in lieu of apologizing, the women claimed to either be stupid or joking (my bet is on the former, as it takes some degree of smarts to pull off the latter). In order to be fully informed on this matter, one would think I should watch clips about these things. I just can't be bothered to care enough to put myself through that.
I didn't watch the Miss America competition, nor did I see the episode of The View that everyone is talking about. I didn't see the apology episode where apparently in lieu of apologizing, the women claimed to either be stupid or joking (my bet is on the former, as it takes some degree of smarts to pull off the latter). In order to be fully informed on this matter, one would think I should watch clips about these things. I just can't be bothered to care enough to put myself through that.
For one...it's the Miss America pageant, which is nothing but fluff and stuff and the blatant objectification of women, even the smartest of women. I haven't seen a Miss America pageant since I was a little girl and couldn't fully realize the frivolity of it all. Like most little girls, I liked the sparkly dresses and some of the talent displays. It wasn't until I was older that I realized how awful it all is, how they are forced to parade around in bathing suits to have their bodies judged like sides of beef hanging up in a slaughter house. Don't get me wrong, these women go into these pageants with these expectations, so it's not like they show up and are caught unawares by anything that transpires during the course of the pageant. It's just...icky...and truthfully, I just don't see the point. I'm not, nor have I ever been, a pageant person, so I don't really see the merit in any of it. And honestly, why do we all the sudden expect the Miss America pageant to respect high-minded ideals? It's incredibly mindless and superficial...at best. I'm definitely not trying to take anything away from Miss Colorado, and in fact, I think it's admirable that she tried to bring some intelligence into the Miss American pageant...it's just that culturally, intelligence and warm fuzzies aren't why people care about the Miss America pageant.
For two...it's The View. Are competent, intelligent, professional nurses really upset, let alone surprised, by anything those morons have to say? I watched a snippet of The View years ago when Barbara Walters was still on it. I felt like my brain was melting and my ears were bleeding. I had to turn it off immediately for fear that my IQ would have to drop much too rapidly to even process the compounded stupidity of the hosts. And not only are they stupid, they're also very mean. They sit there at their little desk like mean little trolls and spew all sorts of vile, verbal diarrhea about whomever happens to be in their crosshairs that morning...even their fellow co-hosts and guests. I just couldn't take it.
And who are these people anyway? Michelle Collins? Never heard of her. Apparently she's some sort of comedian...not a very good one. Joy Behar, a washed up comedian...and calling her a comedian is a bit of a stretch, not to mention insulting to comedians who are actually funny. Raven-Symone...the grown-up little girl from the Cosby Show...the Cosby Show...enough said. Whoopi...oh Whoopi, how far she has fallen. When I heard she was joining The View, a part of me mourned the actress she used to be. What a waste of her talent to be sitting behind that awful desk with those awful women. What I see when I look at the hosts of The View is a group of women who were barely relevant in the very best of times, and who are currently struggling to remain relevant by any means necessary, usually with insults, snark, and just poor taste.
It saddens me that in a panel full of women, women who have struggled and who have worked hard to be able to sit behind that desk amongst their peers, they find it funny, let alone appropriate, to belittle the efforts and accomplishments of other women. And to go after nursing besides, one of the most respected professions in the world. Have they all been so lucky to have never been to a doctor's office or been in the hospital? Have they never interacted with a nurse? Have they no empathy for the healthcare profession in general? I think it's more simple than that. I think they are just idiots. Idiots who have completely lost touch with reality...idiots who think that everything and everyone in life is a joke.
In a world consumed by entertainment, is it any wonder that a bunch of random people in the entertainment industry aren't entertained by the culture of nursing? Even at its best, nursing is not entertaining to those outside the profession. There's no sparkles, no glamour, no creativity, or mind-blowing gymnastics. Of course, it could be argued that arranging 21 IV lines, a ventilator, and continuous dialysis of an ICU patient takes both creativity and gymnastics, but not to people who are consumed with celebrities and fashion. Unless it's a concept touched on by Grey's Anatomy, they just don't understand, and their lack of understanding led them to make ignorant and insulting comments about a profession of which they're not able to empathize. The fact that the ladies of The View weren't willing to apologize for their ignorance, which would have been the stand-up thing to do, just makes them both ignorant and disrespectful. My biggest hope is that maybe next we'll see a teacher, a doctor, a veterinarian, or a policewoman stand up and give a monologue about how her passion for her profession is her talent. I hope that the disparaging comments made by the hosts of The View don't discourage women to follow their hearts and embrace the idea that women can be beautiful, talented, and intelligent.
In a world consumed by entertainment, is it any wonder that a bunch of random people in the entertainment industry aren't entertained by the culture of nursing? Even at its best, nursing is not entertaining to those outside the profession. There's no sparkles, no glamour, no creativity, or mind-blowing gymnastics. Of course, it could be argued that arranging 21 IV lines, a ventilator, and continuous dialysis of an ICU patient takes both creativity and gymnastics, but not to people who are consumed with celebrities and fashion. Unless it's a concept touched on by Grey's Anatomy, they just don't understand, and their lack of understanding led them to make ignorant and insulting comments about a profession of which they're not able to empathize. The fact that the ladies of The View weren't willing to apologize for their ignorance, which would have been the stand-up thing to do, just makes them both ignorant and disrespectful. My biggest hope is that maybe next we'll see a teacher, a doctor, a veterinarian, or a policewoman stand up and give a monologue about how her passion for her profession is her talent. I hope that the disparaging comments made by the hosts of The View don't discourage women to follow their hearts and embrace the idea that women can be beautiful, talented, and intelligent.
Perhaps if I was more passionate about my profession, I would care more about what was said. It's true that I'm not overly passionate about nursing, in fact there are times that I'm downright critical of it. What makes me kind of laugh about the whole thing is that historically, nurses have a reputation for being mean to each other. Google the phrase "nurses eat their young" (a common phrase in the nursing profession) and you might be a little surprised at how many articles have been written about nurses bullying each other. An outsider to the profession upon seeing the backlash against The View might be surprised to find out how ugly nurses can be to each other, and that nurses in general aren't one giant, cohesive collaborative who stick up for each other no matter who the bully is. I've personally heard nurses say far uglier things to each other than "doctor's stethoscope" or "nurse's costume."
But I digress...for the most part I truly like nursing and I think it's a good fit for me. It's true though that I don't necessarily appreciate when my hard work, my sweat, my tears, my sleepless nights, and my commitment to my patients is trivialized by people who have no idea what they're talking about. Perhaps if my profession was criticized by someone more credible, I might actually be upset. I really can't be bothered to care what the women of The View think about me or my profession, because they and their small-minded opinions mean nothing to me. The opinions of my peers, my patients, and the people I interact with on a professional level are far more important to me than any talking head in New York City will ever be. And that's the meat of it. Show you my stethoscope? I've got better things to do.
