Dr. Phil guests want to cancel phrases like 'mom and dad' for being offensive: ‘It’s the heterosexism’

Phil McGraw, better known as Dr. Phil, spoke to a divided audience about various everyday terms like "mom and dad" that have been "canceled" on his show Tuesday.

"There are so many words and phrases that are off limits, it’s hard to keep track," Dr. Phil explained in a monologue opening the segment. "For example, some say ‘peanut gallery’ is now classist and racist, 'first world problem' is also classist, ‘tone-deaf’ is ableist, ‘mom and dad’ assumes traditional gender roles… seriously?"

Dr. Phil then showed a graphic of numerous words or phrases some people now deem too offensive for public use.

One audience member named LaTalya agreed with "mom and dad" appearing on the list. She explained, "I have a daughter with another woman, and when its being taught in school that ‘Oh that’s just the norm’ that it’s just ‘mom and dad,’ it just offends us, because we are lesbians, you know what I mean? We come from the community and it makes us feel like we’re not important enough to be called 'mom and mom' or ‘parents.’"

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Dr. Phil suggested that he would have no problem also using "mom and mom" or "dad and dad," but asked, "Why is ‘mom and dad’ offensive to your sensibilities?"

LaTalya suggested that the usage of the terms excludes those for whom it doesn't apply: "To be honest, it’s because it’s being taught to my daughter and she doesn’t have a father figure, she has two mothers, and so every time she reads something that says ‘dad’ in there you can see a little bit in her eyes it’s like ‘What’s going on over there, why don’t I have a dad?’"

Executive director of the USC Race and Equity Center Shaun Harper commented, "It is the heterosexism of it all," and then went on to suggest that the phrase "mom and dad" is not "canceled," but "what we’re missing here is the opportunity to be decidedly and deliberately inclusive of all parents."

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In a previous episode, Harper denied that cancel culture was a major phenomenon on college campuses, claiming instead that "the overwhelming majority of college students of color" report "that their college and university campuses, in particular the classrooms, are extremely conservative." 

Dr Phil responded to the discussion on canceled words Tuesday saying, "It's really not politics that determines the outcome of the society, it’s culture - it’s never the politics, it’s always the culture." 

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He suggested that in order to solve the problem of cancel culture, "I think that we need to recognize that we need more communication, not less, and when we attack each other, that kinda dries up the conversation. We need to seek first to understand, and then second, to be understood."