Dr. Fredric Brandt apparently recognized himself in Dr. Grant [pronounced "Franff"], a fictional character [played by Martin Short] on the popular Netflix TV comedy show “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt.” And the parody helped drive him to despair."Did the show upset him? Yes. It was a mean characterization. He was a human being, no one would like that. It was making fun of him for the way he looked and it was mean and it was bullying."
On Sunday morning, Brandt hanged himself in his Miami mansion. The pioneering dermatologist, who kept celebrities like Madonna looking forever young, was 65.
Here's what Martin Short was doing. Is this "mean" and "bullying"?
How will this incident affect Short? Here's an article from last November showing his sensitivity about the death of his wife. She died of ovarian cancer in 2010, and he says "I’m still very much married to Nancy."
"In our thirty-six years together we became so intimately familiar with the workings of each other’s minds that I can convincingly play out the conversations we would be having today, about things that postdate Nancy’s death, -- the continued adventures of our three kids, the arrival of HRH Prince George of Cambridge, the Chris Christie ‘Bridgegate’ scandal, and such curiosities as twerking, Ted Cruz....ADDED: A plastic surgeon to the stars is a perfect target for mockery, whether he has the character to take a joke or not. The bullying and meanness that is occurring here is toward Martin Short. And as CJinPA said in the comments, there's a big difference between mocking someone for their "natural looks" and mocking them for "looks resulting from deliberate facial manipulation prompted by income-producing vanity." The former is mean, the latter is telling the truth:
"Nancy has only slipped away into the next room. So some night, when I’m really missing her, I’ll grab a rum and Coke at twilight and sit on the couch on our front porch, or perhaps upstairs, on the balcony off of our bedroom, with the Pacific Ocean in view. I’ll call out, 'Hey, Nan!' Forming the words just feels good in the throat."
Or he does something they always did in the car when Nancy would say "Hand of a hand," which was a cue for Martin to put his right hand in her left. "Kiss the hand," he’d say and she would lift it to her lips and kiss it. "I still offer my hand to Nancy – it’s how I initiate our conversations."
[P]eople like Brandt profited from cultural messaging that produce needless insecurities in regular people. His profit motives, like his clients' faces, are grotesque.
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66 comments:
It did seem pretty mean, but think of it as prophylactic bullying, anybody else who thinks doing that to themselves should be strongly discouraged by society. Surgeons should be strongly discouraged from performing that kind of surgery. That's what satire is about.
How can you be a big plastic surgeon to the stars and feel entitled not to be mocked? You're an exquisitely deserving target of mockery!
The friends who are blaming Short are incredible jerks. Are they shifting blame because they, as actual friends, didn't save the man?
Gee, it's almost as if all that crazy, radical surgery was an attempt to fix some other, different mental issues....
""I still offer my hand to Nancy – it’s how I initiate our conversations."
I wonder how he initiates their Ghost Sex.
I am Laslo.
Picking at the way he looked for no reason at all?
No. It was for good reason. He made himself look ridiculous.
But I'm sorry he was depressed and committed suicide.
This trend of blaming others for suicide has to change. It is a deep denial of what actually causes suicide.
I wonder how he initiates their Ghost Sex.
I bet it involves a pottery wheel...
I hold your hand in mine, dear,
I press it to my lips.
I take a healthy bite
From your dainty fingertips.
When I first saw his picture I wondered how he could get anyone to come to him for plastic surgery.
Then I wondered if it was related to the old riddle about getting a haircut in a town with two barbers.
It's odd that hanging is a doctor's choice method.
Maybe it removes wrinkles.
When you mock someone for their natural looks, it's considered mean.
When you mock someone - indirectly - for looks resulting from deliberate facial manipulation prompted by income-producing vanity, it's telling the truth.
Brandt had mental health issues, and I take no joy in his death. But the truth is, people like Brandt profited from cultural messaging that produce needless insecurities in regular people.
His profit motives, like his clients' faces, are grotesque.
Althouse, I agree with you but you seem to be ignoring the emotional fragility and tremendous sense of entitlement many of these people have. I would say that plastic surgery patients - and this plastic surgeon was clearly a patient himself - are disproportionately troubled/mentally ill.
And he probably thought of himself as a private figure, despite his proximity to celebrity. "Hey, why is he making fun of me? I'm just a surgeon trying to make a living!"
The reaction among his friends to his suicide doesn't surprise me.
What happens if the friends' reaction plunges Martin Short into a depression and he kills himself? Will someone step up and make the doctor's friends feel bad enough that they will kill themselves?
Yeah, the meanness and bullying that's going on right now is toward Martin Short.
It was making fun of him for the way he looked and it was mean and it was bullying."
I would agree that it would be mean spirited to make fun of someone for the way they look if they can't help it.
But this Dr made himself look the way he did on purpose.
He has nobody to blame but himself.
As for "bullying"? Fuck them. See above. He wants to make himself a freak he should take the mockery that comes with it.
I had seen NF touting the show and it hadn't appealed. Now I think I'll have to watch at least an episode to see what the hoorah is about.
John Henry
When I was growing up, "bullying" was some bigger guy twisting your arm or punching you in the nose. Nothing anyone said could have been considered bullying. From my earliest days I was prepared for the fact that people, including good people on a bad day, will say mean or hurtful things. Every kid could recite the mantra - "Sticks and stones ..". I think we have replaced that with a destructive hypersensitivity.
The attack was a showing of how ugly the "appearances count Doctor" was in his life. That was too much for him to accept, so he ended himself.
The Internet film makers have created a town without pity. Digital Darwinism.
The Internet once went after Steve Martin -- the most non-controversial yet one of the most brilliant comedians ever -- for some politically incorrect joke. The faceless hordes made him grovel.
I'm telling you, Internet, if you do the same to Martin Short, I'm done with you.
I loved him in Captain Ron. I wonder if that is available on Netflix? If you haven't seen it, I recommend it as a nice light movie. Sort of a romantic comedy where the couple is married already.
I had seen NF touting the show and it hadn't appealed. Now I think I'll have to watch at least an episode to see what the hoorah is about.
Watched two episodes. meh. But now I might give it a try again.
The pioneering dermatologist, who kept celebrities like Madonna looking forever young...
I think that's what the kids call an Epic Fail!
Martin Short is a brilliant guy but when he's asked to play the Amusing Little Fag characters he's not so brilliant.
He's funnier when he's allowed to be Martin Short.
Several great appearances on Letterman. His Howard Stern interview on YouTube was excellent.
Ann Althouse said...
Yeah, the meanness and bullying that's going on right now is toward Martin Short.
How can you be a big comedian and feel entitled not to be mocked? You're an exquisitely deserving target of mockery!
What I find particularly creepy about this bullying of Martin Short is the way it validates the view of the suicide: "I am a helpless victim, by my death they will all come to see me as the martyr of this drama..., they'll be sorry."
So far, my sense of every suicide by someone I have actually known is that is an act of supreme selfishness, motivated in no small part by hidden anger and coldness toward those closest to them.
This culture has officially banned aggression, but has deified passive aggressiveness.
I think there's a certain line when you play off the mockable features of a public person rather than a more private one.
Maybe it's weird that this relative unknown (unknown to most of the audience) now sees himself ridiculed on a show that others will watch, rather than a public figure who understands that comes with the turf.
I guess its a good thing that most Republicans aren't depressed given how the liberal media/culture make fun them.
Ann Althouse said...He wants to make himself a freak he should take the mockery that comes with it.
Transgender bullying backlash in 3..2..1..
dreams said...
I guess its a good thing that most Republicans aren't depressed given how the liberal media/culture make fun them.
Duh, dreams, Republicans aren't people, so no limits there. Sarah Palin looks weird and talks funny, mock away. Nancy Pelosi's grim tight deaths-head face and asinine pronouncements, though, those aren't to be made fun of, you sexist.
"How can you be a big comedian and feel entitled not to be mocked? You're an exquisitely deserving target of mockery!"
He can be mocked. What I am doing is attacking those who have chosen to use the meanness and bullying standard of judgment and turning it on them. I am not the one saying meanness and bullying are to be condemned. I'm using X's standard on X. My target is hypocrisy and specious argument. I think the ideas of meanness and bullying are overused and repressive of speech.
Good question. Thanks for giving me the opportunity to explain that.
First of all, is The Unbreakable Kimmee Whatzit really all the popular? It's had one release that was promoted heavily by Netflix standards. Of course some people watched it.
Second of all, has Mr. Brandt ever heard of The Streisand Effect? An awful lot more people know about him as possibly the inspiration as did before.
Third of all, yeah, he deserved to be the butt of cruel jokes. If he didn't want that, he should have lived his life differently.
"Second of all, has Mr. Brandt ever heard of The Streisand Effect? An awful lot more people know about him as possibly the inspiration as did before."
Yes, but we know it in a realm that he does not inhabit.
"How can you be a big comedian and feel entitled not to be mocked?"
If your idea of mockery is to falsely claim "you killed somebody," you're doing it wrong.
As a mockery survivor I just hope this tragedy can be used to raise awareness of America's Mock Culture.
Studies show that 1 in 5 preschoolers are mocked by a fellow student before they reach kindergarten.
That is why I have vowed to wear a "Kick Me" sign on my back everywhere I go until people start to realize we have mock crisis in this country.
I am not the one saying meanness and bullying are to be condemned
It's like yin and yang.
We need a balance between meanness and bullying.
I hope Chris Christie is feeling chipper.......My sympathies go out to those who are not public figures but suddenly become famous and fall on the wrong side of the PC police. George Zmmerman, Richard Jewell. All visible imperfections were relentlessly mocked by people who were very good at mockery.. If Officer Wilson had a lisp his life would be unlivable.....I bet Martin Short heard a lot of short jokes in his life.
But was Mr. Short's parody accurate in its representation of Dr. Brandt's speech patterns, mannerisms, and methods?
Do Mr. Short's looks have nothing to do with his career in comedy? Or his "nuanced" design of the satire?
We the jury in the court of public opinion find Martin Short a likable defendant and thus we determine the resemblance to be purely coincidental...
(I'm saying I'm frustrated by the limits of communication, where the issue is complex and contentious: artistic responsibility. That said, a screenplay fingering Madge's motivations for veiled homicide comes to mind. Time for a nuanced sequel to "Death Becomes Her?")
This trend of blaming others for suicide has to change. It is a deep denial of what actually causes suicide.
I agree. I find it very worrisome.
And in dealing with children, we shouldn't be saying that they should be kind to each other in case someone commits suicide. They should be kind regardless. Or at least polite. At a bare minimum not horrible.
The former is mean, the latter is telling the truth:
Laverne Cox is not a woman. Laverne Cox doesn't look like a woman. I wouldn't say Laverne Cox is a freak, but I'm a polite person.
I seem to recall people who mocked private citizen Rachel Jeanteal's speech, appearance, and mannerisms being condemned as racists (she was a witness in the Trayvon Martin shooting trial).
Some mean truths get the Twitter mobs after you, and some don't.
Who Would Jesus Mock?
Depressed suicidal people see suicide as a revenge fantasy. Blaming Short just plays into this and continues the dynamic.
George: It's pretty amazing what dreams and lots of money can do, isn't it?
Lucy: Yes, it is. And you know, you're part of that, George.
George: Yes, I am.
Lucy: All you have to do is use your power for good instead of evil.
George: If only I would.
- Two Weeks Notice DVD
". And as CJinPA said in the comments, there's a big difference between mocking someone for their "natural looks" and mocking them for "looks resulting from deliberate facial manipulation prompted by income-producing vanity."
Can you then mock transsexuals for their looks considering the are not their natural looks but deliberate mamipulations of not just face but whole body?
or is even pointing out that they look as freakish as this doctor suddenly hate speech beucase transgendered are a protected class.
Will Ferrell did a Janet Reno impression that was pretty harsh, but I don't remember him being called sexist for doing so at the time.
The current First Lady has famously well-muscled arms. If Will Ferrell performed a similar portrayal of M. Obama do you think it'd be called sexist? Have you seen any similar portrayals of the current First Lady?
From Wikipedia: "The series follows 29-year old Kimmy Schmidt as she adjusts to life in New York City after her rescue from an Indiana doomsday cult."
We can also blame the show for Indiana's recent suicide.
You can mock people all you want. SOmetimes they kill themselves. But you, as a protected group are not allowed to say that mockery of your group is hate speech. Because again, you are allowed to mock people.
Even gays, or transgendered.
or blacks or Christians or muslims.
Was he absolutely required to watch the show? If he didn't like it why watch it. If he had a firmer grip on life he would have easily said that's not me… screw those guys. Could it have been that his friends were doing the "bullying" (hate that word) by telling him about the show and how it depicted this fictional character. Depression is a nasty thing, but you CAN seek help.
Who was the jerk on "suicide watch"? Good job!
Seems the Doctor was a little thin skinned.
SNL: Barbara Bush vs Michelle Obama.
Robother said:
So far, my sense of every suicide by someone I have actually known is that is an act of supreme selfishness, motivated in no small part by hidden anger and coldness toward those closest to them.
This culture has officially banned aggression, but has deified passive aggressiveness.
Very true. I often feel like we are living in a society run by borderline personalities. You have to walk on eggshells all the time.
Can't help but wonder what caused Dr. Brandt's suicide; being mocked by Martin Short or being mocked by Martin Short and no one caring? What percentage of that shows audience made the connection between Short's character and Dr. Brandt; 1 or 2 percent that were Hollywood insiders? Perhaps the fact that he didn't become a household name after the show aired was what drove his despair.
Otherwise, I agree that this is an unfair attempt to blame the death on Martin Short.
I'm wondering if Martin Short ever appeared in one of those PSA's talking about bullying and how hurtful it is.
Tina Fey played the teacher in Mean Girls who is exasperated at the bitchiness of the Mean Girls and wishes everyone was just more tolerant.
In actual life she would be one of the mean girls except the Mean Girls wouldn't have her because she's not pretty enough and has a horrible looking scar on her face.
What if Brandt's suicide has nothing to do with being mocked by Martin Short? I'd say that's more likely than the story Michael Miller and Brandt's publicists are peddling (Imagine that, a dermatologist employing even one publicist, let alone two.) They are accusing Martin Short of homicide based on nothing. Brandt didn't have a scrawled note pinned to his lapel reading "Short made me do it." What do they want, an apology? Is this brewed up controversy some kind of battle space preparation for a lawsuit?
What if the suicide is connected to the use of Botox? Brandt didn't literally treat himself, but he did take a dose of his own medicine ... several times in fact. Botulinum is an incredibly potent neurotoxin that people with more vanity than intelligence inject into their faces -- just millimeters from the brain. How can there not be a risk of fatal consequences?
Would it not be ironic if Brandt's death leads to a ban on cosmetic use of Botox? What would it be like, the impact of Nancy Pelosi's eyebrows crashing to earth? Sans Botox is there really any important difference between Hillary Clinton and a crocodile?
How can you be a big plastic surgeon to the stars and feel entitled not to be mocked?
You'd be stunned. Radical feminist idealogues ALSO feel they don't deserve to be mocked and few warrant it more.
Heck, Jessica Valenti gets quite upset and, geez, she's like a bull's eye.
Quastor wrote:
They are accusing Martin Short of homicide based on nothing. Brandt didn't have a scrawled note pinned to his lapel reading "Short made me do it." What do they want, an apology? Is this brewed up controversy some kind of battle space preparation for a lawsuit?
Even if they did find that letter, so what? Martin Short has to now be recused from mocking people because they are unbalanced enough to kill themselves when they get mocked?
If Sarah Palin killed herself after Tina Fey Mocked her what would the argument be? Can't make fun of republican women?
damikesc wrote:
You'd be stunned. Radical feminist idealogues ALSO feel they don't deserve to be mocked and few warrant it more.
I'm noticing this in most of the lefty interst groups. THey think their protected status actually protects them from criticism of either their ideas or tactics.
Somehow disagreeing with them becomes the hate speech. And their ideas need protection as otherwise they are being discriminated against.
So if you have an issue with the idea that there is a "war on women" not only are you disagreeing with a position you are actually disagreeing with women. Who are a protected class. Discriminatory! Its the lefts way again to make their opponents shut up.
You have disagreement about gay marriage. You hate gays!
YOu think that a man is a man because he has certain chromosomes.
You hate transgendered people!
you think the 77% wage gap statistic is based on unproven statistics. You hate women!
You think that women should be required to pay for contraception. You hate women!
You think George Zimmerman wasn't stalking Trayvon Martin. YOu hate blacks!
You think hands up dont' shoot accurately reflects the actual events that occurred,and Brown may have not even had his hands up? You hate blacks.
You are ok with immigration but have a problem with illegal immigration? You hate latinos.
You think govt is speding more than it has? You hate the poor latinos blacks gays and other minorities.
Every where with every single argument if you disagree with the liberal you hate the person making the argument.
Opposition to Obama is racism straight up. Chicago is a racist code word.
For f*cks sake.
Meanwhile you can say whatever about white people republicans or Christians.
the lefties learned well studying Russian agit prop. That is 99% of their arguing style.
Does this death mean Nancy Pelosi will soon shrivel up like a raisin?
All of the money those celebrities lavished on Dr. Brandt should have bought him a nice suit of emotional ablative armor.
The guy is so freaky looking. I wonder if he has any work done on his cooch? Why would someone want to look like that?
His work on Madge is stunning though. I am totally in love with her new album. I love the songs Bitch Get Off My Pole and Bitch I'm Madonna.
Hey, Martin Short is Bold: no one outside of Celebrity-Town even knew who this Doctor he ridiculed was, and now it is Front-Page-News.
I totally support the comedic genius that was Clifford and look forward to the following:
That Abortion Doctor in Hollywood with the waxy comb-over and the herpes? Him next! Hair-piece, Martin -- it's GOLD!
That Abortion Doctor in Hollywood with the cocaine-derived deviated septum and the cleft-lip? Lisp, Martin! Lay on the ham!
Everyone in Hollywood will know who you are mocking, and then -- upon a suicide -- the World will know.
Maybe they should start toughening-up now, while they are under the radar, still.
I am Laslo.
"His profit motives, like his clients' faces, are grotesque."
Why? No services provided for payment rendered (fraud and/or extortion)? Catering to the whims of the rich and superficial (haute coutre)? Using unregulated procedures and medicines, unsanitary facilities, or unqualified staff (malpractice)? Oh, all his patients will die. Eventually.
"Are they shifting blame because they, as actual friends, didn't save the man?"
Does acknowledging negative artistic impact and identifying multiple factors shift blame? Is inadequate friendship the likely culprit?
If the intent is "speaking truth to power" through parody and satire, isn't the waiting room more ripe for satire than the service provider?
Can aging ingenues write and sell their own scripts? Are they required to adequately fund their retirement before elective medical expenditures?
Is the judgement of a man who talks to his dead wife sacrosanct?
Sorry, your Honor, I'll get to the point.
Does artistic integrity preclude blurred lines?
The plot for artistic commerce thickens: http://bgr.com/2015/04/07/comcast-vs-directv-rob-lowe-ads/.
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