Phil donahue

Science may have come a long way, but as far as religion is concerned, we are first cousins to the !Kung tribesmen of the Kalahari Desert. Except for the garments, their deep religious trances might just as well be happening at a revival meeting or in the congregation of a fundamentalist TV preacher.... As we move further from the life of ignorance and superstition in which religion has its roots, we seem to need it more and more.... Why has religion become a force just when we'd have thought it would be losing ground to secularism?

If Stalin ever told me to urinate, I'm not sure I'd be able to.

Is it any wonder that for millions of men the only intimacy is physical, silent, and predictable?

The system of volunteerism is divisive. It pits one charity against the others for the charity dollar.

In reality, the most important things happen when you don't look for them.

I believe celebrity spoils people - some worse than others.

I think the idea of creating a television news source that is not beholden to corporate interests is nirvana.

I have had time to analyze my feelings. I am certain that they are totally neurotic, sexist, silly, and a big waste of time.

I certainly think we have an emergency in media, and we gotta fix it.

Everybody is under pressure to shut up and sing.

Spanking and verbal criticism have become, to many parents, more important tools of child rearing than approval.

We should not use crippled children to sell hamburgers. Ever.

Television is not the exclusive target of promoters. Is Superman really worthy of a Newsweek cover?

The Commission on Presidential Debates is a corrupt stranglehold on our democracy.

Will you remember me when I'm gone?

Oprah is more than an institution. Oprah is a very special star in the firmament. I can't imagine a greater success than she's enjoyed.

There is no democracy without dissent.

A large psychic void is left by a loss of faith. So many Catholics have tried so many things to replace it.

Recognition should come to the reporter who uncovers public cheating or proves a convicted man innocent.

In a network situation, a vice president, while he's shaving, can decide your history.

I find celebrity status difficult to bear when I am in the company of my mother.

There's a reason we seperate Church and State. The reason for the richness and the diversity of religion in this nation is because of the seperation of Church and State, and there are people out there who can't wait to make this nation a nation of one religion... THEIR religion.

I tip like crazy. Theyll remember me. Celebrity can be expensive.

I have moved from certainty to doubt, from devotion to rebellion.

December 25th has become guilt and obligation.

I have been in the witness protection program for the last three weeks. I campaigned for Ralph Nader. I'm now living as a woman in Mississippi.

Some people are uncomfortable with the idea that humans belong to the same class of animals as cats and cows and raccoons. They're like the people who become successful and then don't want to be reminded of the old neighborhood.

In 1953 there were two ways for an Irish Catholic boy to impress his parents: become a priest or attend Notre Dame.

The radio of my youth ... is now a quaint memory replaced by computer hard drives.

Presenting statues of honor to reporters for covering an earthquake is like presenting a first prize to a doctor for performing surgery.

We [in USA] have people honestly believing that, if a president calls a war, you have to shut up and sing. That is not the nation my mother raised me to pledge my allegiance to. We should speak out. We sent thousands of Americans to foreign battlefields to protect our way of life, which includes free speech. If you're not going to use it, it's already lost. We'll find a Mussolini who will tell us what's good for us.

To a journalist, good news is often not news at all.

Cindy Sheehan is one tough mother. And nothing you say or anyone else is gonna slow her down.

This is Sesame Street. A place where people, birds, monsters all live in perfect harmony.

I was proud of the waves I had made, but wondered how many boats I was supposed to rock.

I could never understand how we could put 120,000 Japanese behind a fence in World War II. I remember being bewildered about that.

The establishment people tell us that if the workers wanted to share the profits, it was called communism. When management wants to share profits, it's called a bonus.

Suicide is a permanent solution to a temporary problem.

Airlines are interesting. They not only favor celebrities, they court them.

Women are smarter than men because they listen.

Praising the Lord and passing the ammunition are mutually exclusive ideas.

At first, I thoroughly enjoyed being famous.

Its like threading a needle while walking on a water bed.

What really keeps me going is the constant belief that it could all disappear tomorrow.

The House looks like more fun. It's like the Donahue show. The Senate is like one of those Sunday morning public service programs.

When I was a kid, people who got divorced were people who had no gumption.

[Asserting] important First Amendment rights ... why should [executions] be the one area that is conducted behind closed doors?... Why shouldn't executions be public?

Miss Child is never bashful with butter.

I'm not a pacifist. I'm not that brave.

The biggest threat to this country isn't the Russians. It's our own inability to make democracy or capitalism work.

The Tube is a vehicle for selling things, not for exploring ideas.

I realize what you can do when you scare the population and how media contributes to that.

Author details

Phil Donahue: Biography and Life Work

Phil Donahue was a notable Talk show host. The story of Phil Donahue began on December 21, 1935 in Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.. The legacy of Phil Donahue continues today, following their passing on August 18, 2024 in New York City, U.S..

Phillip John Donahue (December 21, 1935 – August 18, 2024) was an American media personality, writer, film producer, and the creator and host of The Phil Donahue Show . The television program, later known simply as Donahue , was the first popular talk show to feature a format that included audience participation. The show had a 29-year run on national television that began in Dayton, Ohio , in 1967 and ended in New York City in 1996.

Legacy and Personal Influence

Academic foundations were established at University of Notre Dame, BBA. Personally, Phil Donahue was married to Margaret Cooney (divorced), Marlo Thomas.

Philosophical Views and Reflections

In July 2002, Donahue returned to television after seven years of retirement to host a show called Donahue on MSNBC . On February 25, 2003, MSNBC canceled the show. Soon after the show's cancellation, an internal MSNBC memo was leaked to the press stating that Donahue should be fired because he opposed the imminent U.S. invasion of Iraq and that he would be a "difficult public face for NBC in a time of war" and that his program could be "a home for the liberal anti-war agenda". Donahue commented in 2007 that the management of MSNBC, owned at the time by General Electric , a major defense contractor, required that "we have two conservative (guests) for every liberal. I was counted as two liberals."

Regarding his religion, Donahue had stated: "I will always be a Catholic . But I want my church to join the human race and finally walk away from this anti-sexual theology." He also said that he is not "a very good Catholic", and that he did not think it was necessary to have his first marriage annulled . He had expressed admiration of Pope Francis .

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