It's such a typical story. The narcissistic jerk follows his wandering prick to the greener pastures of a younger woman and saddles his beleaguered wife with a house full of children and a mittful of bills to pay while he lives out his midlife crisis. We all do the pitying head-tilt, share a tear or two and trust in our heart of hearts that the family courts will eventually do something to even the score.
Thus explaining the sad popularity of The First Wive's Club and various similar hagiographies.
But what if the beleaguered wife is a wretched life-sucking harpy, with an entitlement complex, a control fetish and no shame?
Enter Kate Gosselin. The latest personification of the spiteful divorce spectacle that has become a cornerstone in the family court system.
It's not to say that John Gosselin is a sympathetic figure by any measure, but any self-respecting soul (man or woman) can only be expected to take so much before packing it in and calling it quits. And judging by the latest conduct of his estranged spouse, can he really be blamed for bailing out before the inevitable train wreck of his marriage hit?
Meanwhile, mommie dearest makes the round of talk shows to publicly humiliate herself and her children and tap into the stereotypical pity pool of jilted wife. What is most sickening about this spectacle is how well it works for her, and every other manipulative bitch who pulls it.
A classic example of the tactic is the "bait and switch" with the kids in the middle, as described here...
When asked about Jon’s request to stop filming during the divorce, Kate claimed she ran it by the children and “there was eight times wailing and sobbing. They love the crew! They love all the events! They love the interaction! They got very angry about that thought.” As any reasonable parent knows, you do not ask the children whether they want the horrible thing. You set it up to trick them into believing that the right thing to do is what they actually want. And if that fails, you disappoint them.
And it's all daddy's fault. And she's just trying to get by. And for God's sake, won't somebody think of the children?!
But the only adult in this situation who seems to genuinely be thinking of the children, is the wandering prick with the new twinkie. How can this be?
Well, maybe everything you've been told by the feminists, child psychologists, courts, lawyers and hollywood nimrods, about women being the underdogs in family law, is egregiously false. From personal experience I can say I've seen some women pull -- and get away with -- spiteful stunts that would get their children's father arrested and his custody rights ripped away. Some women could strangle their children in their beds and still get away with being cast as the victims of insensitive men.
Kate just gets to do it all with the cameras rolling.
Shame on her. And shame on all of us for letting it get this bad. Justice should be gender blind and sometimes the abusive, controlling psychopath is the weeping woman who uses her children as a commodity to be traded.
Children should never be used as pawns in the games adult play with each other in divorce and certainly never as stage props.
Posted by: proof | October 10, 2009 at 12:51 PM
I've never understood people who subject themselves and their families to "reality" shows. But then again, I never understood the people who end up on Jerry Springer either. Probably some deep seeded need for attention no matter what the cost. The fact that the kids are being used is tragic but not unexpected.
Posted by: Texas Canuck | October 10, 2009 at 05:41 PM