Being a counter-intuitive thinker is fun.  When you reject conventional wisdom and look for alternative explanations in every aspect of life, you begin seeing the world as it might be, not just how others want you to see it.  People who take themselves too seriously often fail the counter-intuitive thinking test.

One such person is Kathy Griffin, someone whose humor I thoroughly enjoy.  She has made a pretty good living sharing her encounters with the rich (e.g. Steve Wozniak) and famous (e.g. Barbara Walters) which she has now parlayed into a new book titled Celebrity Run-Ins. During her current book tour, Griffin shared an excerpt in which she is seated next to Woody Allen at a dinner sponsored by AOL.  She describes the evening as “uncomfortable,” pointing to the following Allen comments as the reason for her assessment of the situation.

• He introduced his wife Soon-Yi as his “child bride.”
• He claimed he has watched every episode of Hannah Montana starring Miley Cyrus, whom Allen hired to appear in his forthcoming Amazon TV series, “Crisis in Six Scenes.”
• He says, “And now I have to watch my friend Bill Cosby get railroaded.”

It did not take long for the mainstream media to jump on the story as evidenced by the following headlines.

• Woody Allen alledgedly told Kathy Griffin he had to watch Bill  Cosby ‘get railroaded,’ called wife Soon-Yi Previn his ‘child bride’ (NY Daily News)
• Woody Allen Is Creepier Than You Imagined (Esquire)
• Kathy Griffin’s ‘Jaw-Dropping’ Story About Woody Allen Will Shock You (Huffington Post)

For heaven’s sake, IT WAS WOODY ALLEN, the person who, among other things, has said:

• If only God would give me a clear sign!  Like making a large deposit in my name at a Swiss bank.
• I don’t believe in the after life, although I am bringing a change of underwear.
• My luck is getting worse and worse.  Last night, for instance, I was mugged by a Quaker.
• I had a terrible education.  I attended a school for emotionally disturbed teachers.
• In California, they don’t throw their garbage away — they make it into TV shows.

Instead of viewing the encounter as “shocking,” Griffin could just as easily referred to the experience as “the time I got punked by Woody Allen.”  Knowing she is always seeking new material for her one-woman shows, I have little doubt Allen decided, “Oh, I’ll give her something to talk about.”  The tell-tale clue is Allen’s reference to Bill Cosby.  If you Google the term “Woody Allen Bill Cosby friendship” there are 453,000 hits.  There is just one problem.  Not a single one suggests any level of amity between the two.   There is not even one example of a joint appearance.  Virtually every post which includes both names focuses on how differently the two celebrities have been treated following disclosure of alleged sexual deviancy.

Griffin’s possibly being the fall-gal for Allen’s impishness is nothing new. A song in Bob Fosse’s semi-autobiographical film All That Jazz titled “Everything Old Is New Again,” reminded me of a similar prank I observed many years ago.  While attending a George McGovern fundraiser in 1972, some of the guests were discussing the impact of  R. Sargeant Shriver replacing Missouri Senator Thomas Eagleton as the vice-presidential nominee.  Eagleton had recently resigned from the ticket after confirming he had been treated on multiple occasions, including shock therapy, for depression and stress.

A friend of mine Jim Savarese broke into the conversation and informed the group, “You know, his closest friends don’t call him Sarge, they call him ‘Bob’.” Not a month later, at another McGovern rally, I heard someone repeat this manufactured falsehood.  Jim’s prank had gone viral.

Are we just gullible?  Is it some desire to be “in the know?”  Or to be part of the “in crowd?”  For whatever reason, we seem to increasingly accept gossip as gospel.  In the case of a waggish celebrity or what one should call a Kennedy in-law, it is hard not to appreciate the humor intended.  But when fake stories become faux news and then are spread as fact,  we start living in a world of deception and unfounded reality which have real consequences.  Laughter may be the best medicine, but disinformation seems to be a growing epidemic.

As the media continues to assess what everyone got wrong during the past year, a mirror would be a good place to start.

For what it’s worth.
Dr. ESP