Judge Judy disses nursing

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I have a daily ritual. I come home from nursing school and before I dive into my homework, I make a sandwich and watch Judge Judy. I've been watching this show for years and I like her no-nonsense style and sense of humor. I have noticed over the years that she has a bias against older adults attending college. She tends to mock them for not having an established career already, but I've overlooked this in the past and just focused on the aspects of the show that I like. Until today....

Today's episode involved a 22 year old guy who was being sued by his parents for non payment of a loan for a motorcycle as well as a loan for getting bailed out of jail for a DUI. As the story unfolds, we learn that he has also recently fathered two children. So it's being established early on that this guy isn't the most responsible of citizens. It was just another typical episode until the following interaction occurred:

Judge Judy: Are you employed?

Guy: Yes, full time. I also go to school full time.

Judge Judy: Where do you go to school?

Guy: Davenport (assume he means Iowa)

Judge Judy: For what?

Guy: Medical

Judge Judy (in an incredulous voice): You're in med school to become a doctor?!?

Guy: No, nursing.

Judge Judy: Oh, well thank God for that.

On the face of it, maybe it's not that offensive. But I really hate this attitude that nurses are just not as smart as doctors and that we chosse nursing because we aren't doctor material. I just felt that her comments meant to convey that he was far too irresponsible (and perhaps dimwitted) to be in medical school, but a perfect match for something so much less resonsible and challenging like nursing. Really chaps my hide. :nono:

I think I'm gonna need a new afternoon ritual.

Adri

Specializes in Med/Surg, Geriatrics.

I really like Judge Judy; I try to watch her every chance I get. BUT that was a definite diss and I'm really not appreciating that from her.

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Specializes in ER/ICU/STICU.
I kind of took it as a sarcastic comment. I don't think she was relieve that this person was going to nursing school instead of med school. Kind if a sarcastic way of saying "oh, even better" that a person like that was going to be in healthcare.

( And that dude should have said 'nursing' instead of 'medical.)

I agree. I think everyone is over reacting as most people tend to do on this board. The point she is getting across is that this person is not an obstanding citizen and someone that immature and irresponsible shouldn't be in charge of peoples lives. There was no "diss" to nursing, it was more of her taking a shot at him.

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Specializes in 5 yrs OR, ASU Pre-Op 2 yr. ER.

.

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maybe its just me, but i interpret this as her being relieved hes not in school to be a doctor, totally disreguarding the mention of nursing.

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maybe its just me, but i interpret this as her being relieved hes not in school to be a doctor, totally disreguarding the mention of nursing.

That's what I took it to mean to. I don't think she meant it as a deliberate stab to the nursing profession. In all honesty I don't think alot of TV shows take into account the nursing profession at all when they "demean" the profession. I'm talking about shows like ER and Grey Anatomy ect. As offensive as some of the behaviors demonstrated on there may be to nurses, I think it's mostly done out of sheer ignorance of nursing, not to purposely downgrade nurses and make us look bad. Or because of a bad opinion of nurses.

Not that that makes it better. But unless it's just blatant, I just tend to roll my eyes and ignore it. The Goodhousekeeping Article about how to get prompt patient care by lying to the triage nurse and bribing nurses with food, is something that I found offensive and would and did definately pipe up about. Seeing an actor on Greys Anatomy/ER getting huffy because she is mistaken for a nurse is something I would just roll my eyes at. Does this make any sense?

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Specializes in Med/Surg, Geriatrics.
I think everyone is entitled to their opinions and feelings on this subject, as with any, but my post on it was not to reflect that people are overreacting if they are not in agreement with me.

Thanks for that Marie. You're right, we're all entitled to disagree and to characterize differing opinion as "overreacting" is not necessary.

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I'm watching her now too. I like her for the most part. She is not politically correct and tells things as she sees em.

That's not always necessarily a virtue.

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You are, indeed, a lawyer before a judge - except in small municipalities here in New York State where a hog farmer can be elected to a local judgeship.

She's making a lot more money on television - as in millions a year - than she made as an overworked New York City family court judge.

Actually, the hog farmer can only be a J.P. My uncle was one and he was a diary farmer.

Grannynurse:balloons:

Capital District area

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Actually, the hog farmer can only be a J.P. My uncle was one and he was a diary farmer.

Grannynurse:balloons:

Capital District area

Coffee snort! Right through the nose!

:lol2:

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Coffee snort! Right through the nose!

:lol2:

Glad I could be of assistance. I am a terrible speller.

Grannynurse:balloons:

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I'm a big fan of Judge Judy, but I'll have to say that she definitely is the type that has a big mouth, yet can't listen to any voice but her own.

I watched her "diss" nursing 5-6 years ago. So that's nothing new:

Judge Judy: "What do you do for a living?"

Plaintiff: "I'm a nurse."

Judge Judy: "I thought you said that you were a nursing student earlier, and now you're telling me that you're an actual nurse. Sounds like baloney to me."

Plaintiff: "Your honor, I am a nurse with an asssociates degree. I went back to school for my bachelors degree at the time in question, so yes, I was a student at the time."

Judge Judy: "So how much do you make as a nurse?"

Plaintiff: "$68,000 per year." (This woman lived somewhere in CA during 1999-2000 or so.)

Judge Judy: "So you're trying to tell me that a new nurse fresh out of school makes that kind of money? You've got to be kidding if you think that I'll believe that."

Plaintiff: "Your honor, I've been a nurse for many years, I've been trying to tell you that I went back to school to get my bachelors and that's when I was a student during the time in question...."

Judge Judy: (interrupts) "Oh you're a liar! First you tell me that you're a student nurse, then you try to tell me that you're an actual nurse, and those, madam, are two different things. You're a liar, trying to tell me two different stories."

Judge Judy had no concept whatsoever, despite her college/law school education and experience, of the difference between an associate degree and bachelors degree nurse.

Nor was she interested in shutting up long enough to learn the difference.

I love her show, I really do.

But it's really sad to see someone with so much education, who has come so far in life, be so ignorant to our profession.

I always keep that episode in mind whenever dealing with patients/families that think I'm little more than their servant.

So many have no clue, yet so full of wisdom at the same time.

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She's rude, and no matter what position you hold, there's never an excuse for that.

Of course her rudeness is a huge part of her entertainment appeal to some people.

But she should be setting an example, not glamourizing snide, rude comments just because she sits 4 feet higher than everyone else in the room and wears a black robe.

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