Dr. Phil has started a Twitter firestorm with a single tweet that he has since deleted. The popular television doctor usually asks about topics that will appear on upcoming shows, and this time was no different.
The only difference with this question is that it seemed to strike a nerve. He asked,"If a girl is drunk, is it OK to have sex with her? Reply yes or no to @drphil #teensaccused .” There was an array of responses with the hashtag #DrPhilQuestions, such as:
If @DrPhil deletes a tweet, is it okay to repost a screenshot of it? Reply with yes or no. #drphilquestions #fem2 pic.twitter.com/UjhFuaVNvz
— Diane Alston (@dianemoexo) August 20, 2013
Is it okay to belittle teenage rape victims for Twitter attention? Well, what if I'm drunk? #DrPhilQuestions
— Cliff Pervocracy (@pervocracy) August 20, 2013
If a person is a misogynist, is it OK to just refer to him as "Dr. Phil" from now on? #DrPhilQuestions
— Imran Siddiquee (@imransiddiquee) August 20, 2013
Is it okay to exploit people's emotional issues in public under the guise of helping them? #DrPhilQuestions
— Jarrah Hodge (@jarrahpenguin) August 20, 2013
A rep for his show Dr. Phil responded to the backlash to BuzzFeed, saying, “This tweet was intended to evoke discussion leading into a very serious show topic. It was not intended to be taken lightly,” the spokesperson said. “It’s based upon a recent news story, hence the #teensaccused label.”
Some were so outraged with his tweet that a Change.org petition was created asking him to apologize for the controversial question. The title of the petition is, “Dr. Phil (@DrPhil): Sex Without Consent Is Never OK! Apologize for “Sex With Drunk Girls” Tweet.” So far, it has 865 supporters.
image: NBC