Normally I pride myself on being even tempered and rational. Ideologically speaking I am a realist. But, that doesn't mean I don't have an opinion, it's just usually suppressed in favor of "dealing with it". But every once in a while one must just let it out. This is a rant, there are many like it, but this one is mine. Consider this fair warning if you continue to read or comment....
The news industry pisses me off to no end. I don't give a damn what network or outlet you belong to there is one tenet... If it bleeds, it leads. Which explains why every day is a body count of US Service members killed without a corresponding enemy count. Or a count of public works being performed in Iraq or even a count of how many kids are back in school or have immunizations. Journalistic integrity is just another contradiction in terms like "jumbo shrimp". Fair and balanced my ass.
But every once in a while there is the non-bleeder but still a leader story that really isn't newsworthy unless your favorite activity is chanting "JER-RY, JER-RY, JER-RY," in the forlorn hope that Springer will invite you on his show so you can catfight because your second cousin left your twinky eating underage baby factory ass for yet another skank of the month. Whew. Still with me? Good, it only gets better from here.
First it was Anna Nichole Smiths death and the drama over who actually planted the seed in the already over exposed garden of .... and thus stood to control millions. One blurb, with an accompanying playboy before and after photo announcing her death would suffice as news... but nooooo, it became the all Anna all the time news rush.
Once that hole had run dry enough to pronounce it dessicated, we moved on to Paris and Britneys katzenjammer kinders antics. Yes, it was totally newsworthy that yet another whacked out entertainer was losing her marbles all over the public stage. And she was being guided by the darling of the amateur porn star slash heiress without a job queen. Following the dynamic duo was of course the Lindsay Lohan story proving that you don't have to be twenty-one to act stupid in public. But, the connoisseurs of Enquirer also watch tv news and so we have the threesome from dingbat lane dominating the "news".
But the over the top that finally got my blood simmering is the minute to minute coverage of Paris the Heiress and her go to jail saga. The magazines scream with headlines about how she will be subject to strip searches and lesbian gangs. And folks on the radio call in circut actually devote airtime to the Springermaniacs who call in to explain in detail that Paris is being abused.
Well call me old and stodgy since I really don't care. The only newsworthy item in all of this is the highlighting of how you get the best justice you can pay for. If you are the basic in the box citizen of the USA you get thrown in the slammer and you get to deal with bubba the bitchmaker, racially aligned gang violence, abusive guards, corruption, other criminals more violent than you, yadayadablahetc. This applies to anyone uless you are an out of the box celebrity. Then you get reduced or no sentence, special accomidations, and preferential treatment.
Please don't tell me that she was segregated for her own safety. All that proves is a systemic problem where the safety of the average and below average income inmates are ignored. If we truly cared about the safety of all those we jail, we would only jail violent felons and everyone else would be dealt with on an "outpatient" basis.
So between the news coverage of insipid stupidity on the part of celebrity fools, and the slanted coverage of the war, the only thing left is the continual coverage proving our elected officials are fools when it comes to immigration as well.
I think we are finally getting what we deserve. The news delivered via MTV to a nation of celebrity soundbyte addicts.
End of rant.
Cool Cartoon >>> here
news sensationalism paris+hilton
No comments:
Post a Comment