Homeless Man With Golden Radio Voice: My Thoughts

Well he is back at it again... and by back at it, I mean hittin the bottle again.  It is reported that Mr. Ted Williams (the homeless man with the golden radio voice) is going to go into rehab... I am becoming less and less sympathetic for this guy the more I hear about him.  

Before I get into why I don't think that Ted Williams doesn't deserve what he has received... Here is what People.com reported yesterday:

following a police-involved confrontation with his recently reunited daughter on Monday night in Los Angeles, Williams may be headed for rehab.

A rep for Dr. Phil McGraw, who has Williams on his show this week, tells PEOPLE the talk show host convinced Williams to get treatment for drug and alcohol abuse after a "lengthy one-on-one conversation."

"If Ted is ever going to get better, he's got to be honest with himself and admit he's addicted to drugs and alcohol,” says McGraw. "I've told him it's not going to be easy and it's going to take a lot of hard work. It might be a long journey for him, but this is a big step in the right direction."

This decision comes shortly after Williams, 53, admits on the syndicated Dr. Phil show in an episode airing Wednesday that he is still drinking.

His daughter told reporters that he is drinking again.  She claims that he drank a full bottle of Grey Goose Vodka, several Coronas, and a few glasses of wine in ONE NIGHT!  I don't know about you, but I barely consume that much alcohol in a month!

Ok, so this guy was living on the streets because of drug and alcohol abuse, then got the break of a lifetime.  I get it, this is the human interest story of the year.  A man down on his luck turns it all around, and it's all thanks to YouTube and other social media sites.  Hollywood screenwriters wish they could have dreamed a story up like this.

I was behind this guy 100% when I first heard about this story, but now I am disillusioned with this whole story.  First off, it's kinda scary for me... can a homeless man come in off the street and do my job!?  I sure hope not, I worked pretty hard to get where I am today.  It doesn't seem fair to me that people in this industry have worked their asses off for years, honing their craft, and for what?  I work with a bunch of guys who have as powerful of a voice, yet they are part timers still looking for a break... AND they haven't robbed people or have substance abuse problems.

I'm just saying is all... how would you feel if a homeless drunk with "the golden sales pitch" came into your company and took the highest billing accounts after you have been working there for 20 years?

After saying all that, I still feel as though the media is taking advantage of Ted Williams.  I honestly don't think this is a human interest story anymore, I think this is a story of exploitation and media whoring.  Ted is being exploited, his family is being exploited, Ted's family is exploiting Ted, and all the while the media is promoting this story to no end.  You have to keep in mind that the whole reason anyone is trying to help this man is because it boosts ratings, which in turn translates into advertising revenue.  The media doesn't care about Ted Williams, Dr. Phil doesn't care about Ted Williams, and I would be willing to wager that YOU don't really care about Ted Williams.

It may be hard to get on my side for this one, seeing as the exploitation of Ted may actually save his life.  BUT at the same time, this explosion of fanfare may lead Ted down a worse path now that he has access to a lot of money.

I am all for second chances and I wish the best for Mr. Williams.  I hope he gets clean and can have a career in radio again.  But I think that the lesson to be learned from this whole story is just the opposite of what has been presented.  This isn't a story of second chances, it is a story of how this segment of society is ignored until a story like this comes along.  The only saving grace of the media, is that they are bringing attention to this often forgotten about segment of the population.

So next time you see a homeless person on the side of the road, give some change, drop off a pair of gloves, or a winter cap.  Don't buy into the media BS, they are driven by the almighty dollar, and not by compassion for a fellow human being.