Dr. Phil snaps up local 'sex bracelet' story

StarBanner.com ^ | November 13, 2003

[Sweet_Sunflower29]

Little rubber bracelets have put School Board member Sue Mosley and the Marion County school system on the map.

Friday, Mosley received a call from a producer of the "Dr. Phil" show, asking her to appear on a program featuring a middle school fad that involves jelly bracelets and sexual innuendo.

This week, people from the "Today" show called her about the same topic.

"I haven't ate or slept in three days," said Mosley, who was elected to the School Board last fall. "I'm a nervous wreck."

Mosley has strongly opposed the bracelets, which began appearing in middle schools last year. Supposedly, students break them off each other's wrists and are entitled to specific acts, some sexual.

Last month, the Star-Banner published a story about the bracelets, which were banned this fall at Fort McCoy School. Subsequently, Time magazine picked up the story and ran an article stating that the fad was occurring nationwide.

Tuesday, the "Today Show" sent a film crew to Fort McCoy. The NBC program, which will also feature Mosley, is scheduled to air Friday morning.

Dr. Phil, whose top-rated show is viewed by 5.7 million people, is scheduled to tape a segment about the bracelets today. Mosley, who will be joined by Fort McCoy Assistant Principal Cindy Saunders, is expected to debate a guest who believes students should be allowed to brandish the jewelry.

"My position is it's just inappropriate at school," said Mosley, who planned to fly out to Los Angeles on Wednesday. "We don't want it done here."

Producers for "Dr. Phil," which airs weekday mornings on WCJB TV-20, have not announced when the segment will run. A spokesman for the show declined to comment on the episode, saying that details could change before airtime.

The recent wave of attention - generated by inexpensive bracelets easily found in malls - left local school officials dumbfounded.

"We raise student performance, and nobody does a show on that," said School Board member Cheryl Appelquist.

[lelio]

King5.com in Seattle did a teaser on this as well. I think its an urban legend.

[EggsAckley]

I've seen a lot of them out here in California.

[jra]

"I haven't ate or slept in three days," said Mosley, who was elected to the School Board last fall. "I'm a nervous wreck."

Yeah, but have you went to the bathroom? Sheesh.

[diamondjoe]

Every couple years you can count on one of these "Hey, Parents--you won't believe how much sex your kids are having!!!" stories to come out. It is almost always an urban legend, and most of the evidence consists of kids reciting what they have heard on the playground. And, as anyone who was once in junior-high can attest, the playground is the perfect breeding ground for a fertile imagination.

[Chuckster]

Education professional.

[Charlotte Corday]

Boy, my generation missed it. We never had the chance to have this much fun driving the adults crazy back in the early '70s when the paranoia factor was nothing compared to today.

[thoughtomator]

"We raise student performance, and nobody does a show on that," said School Board member Cheryl Appelquist

The "performances" are the problem, Cheryl! Stop teaching kids how to be degenerates and start teaching them the skills they need to survive!

[HighWheeler]

"I haven't ate or slept in three days," said Mosley, who was elected to the School Board last fall. "I'm a nervous wreck."

Yeah, but have you went to the bathroom? Sheesh.

--------------

Yeah, I'm with you. The present perfect of "eaten" is "et"

[lelio]

I had to laugh when I heard a guest on Oprah talk about "Rainbow Parties" where girls wear different lipstick and form a rainbow of patterns on the males in the room. Uh huh. Is brown lipstick in this year?

[kitkat]

LOL!

[Sonny M]

Every couple years you can count on one of these "Hey, Parents--you won't believe how much sex your kids are having!!!" stories to come out. It is almost always an urban legend, and most of the evidence consists of kids reciting what they have heard on the playground.

After awhile, just when I think I've seen enough adults make fools of themselves by thinking they know what goes on with kids, another idiot comes along to prove that there is something even dumber. Dr. Phil is an idiot, I can't believe how many of these stupid urban legends keep getting put on the air by people like Oprah, Dr. Phil and whoever. Even worse, is how many viewers actually belive them. When the media goes looking for a story, if they can't find anything to back up the legend, they'll tell kids about it, then interview them for reactions.

[HitmanLV]

I used to collect baseball cards back in the 1970s.

[Skwidd]

I collected comic books and read science fiction in the 80's. Apparently, everyone else was having more fun than we were. =)

[ShadowDancer]

The "performances" are the problem, Cheryl! Stop teaching kids how to be degenerates and start teaching them the skills they need to survive!

Do you have the data on how this school is performing? It's the parents' job to teach morals, not the school's.

[HitmanLV]

Haha! I collected comics, too - the 80s were the last great stand for me for comics. I was a 70s Marvel fan, ate up all things Spider-Man in that era, and stuck around for much of the 80s until the whole Marvel Universe became a bore for me!

When Marvel reprinted in black & white bound volumes the first 100 issues of Spider Man, FF, X-Men, etc, I picked them all up - for me, nothing is better than Marvel Silver Age up through the 1970s - comics were fun for me back then. They never recaptured their magic, in my eyes!

[who knows what evil?]

Dr. Phil, whose top-rated show is viewed by 5.7 million people...

Don't they mean 5.7 million drooling soccer moms?

[L.N. Smithee]

I've seen a lot of them out here in California.

What the heck are they? This story is about as detailed as the stories about the accusations about Prince Charles!

[L.N. Smithee]

How many folks here remember Wacky Packages? That was all the rage when I was in grade school. It helped foster my life long interest in graphic design and packaging.

[DaughterOfAnIwoJimaVet]

I imagine if she hasn't ate, she hasn't went to the bathroom, either. Unless she drinked.