On the third day of the “surprising” criminal proceedings against Michael Jackson, I am officially tired of hearing about it. On the television news, on the radio, in the newspaper…enough. The guy isn’t a head of state, and he isn’t even an important celebrity anymore (is “important celebrity” an oxymoronic phrase?) If he’s convicted for sex abuse, there will be no societal consequences.
Greedy retirees are poised to extort $40 billion a year from working American families, using the government as the muscle man. That’s a story. Radical Islamist terrorists are murdering innocent people in Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Iraq. That’s a story. Yet what do the watchdogs in the press think is the most important story right now? A freakish pop star is going to be arrested for being a pervert.
If Jackson is innocent, I hope he goes free. If he’s guilty, I hope he goes to jail and repents his sins. Either way, I don’t want to hear about it.
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Please add to your list: The Laci Peterson case. I can’t even watch cable news late at night anymore.
If Laci Peterson had looked like Amber Frey, this story would not have gone this far. Laci was attractive and vivacious and Frey looks well, kinda skanky.
The Jackson issue involves 2 of the most important things that America holds sacred:
1 Celebrities
2 Sex
The combination is obviously so important that IT MUST dominate all news coverage.
It’s a shame. When I look at old news reels, the news seemed to be about letting the public know what was going on in the world, bringing it home. Politics, wars, scientific discoveries, things that affected our lives.
We’ve obviously found that boring. Celebrities and Sex are now the most important things in our lives. If they aren’t, why do they get so much coverage.
It’s also the fragmentation of the mass media, Cathy. Because of the rising number of news outlets in all media, news programs have to appeal to a variety of niches, instead of presenting news that’s broadly important to everyone. Thus the increased focus on “lifestyle” segments (diets, recreation, vacations).
Plus, people are dumber than they used to be, thanks to the public school systems. Look at the curricula from 100 years ago compared with today’s, and you’ll see how dumbed-down they’ve become.
I couldn’t agree with you more, Eric, especially your comment about “there will be no societal consequences”. I won’t deny that these are legitimate news stories, but given the extremely negligible impact, if any at all, on the lives of the everyday American, they certainly do not deserve the prominence in coverage they seem to get. Between this, Kobe Bryant and the Petersen Case, it’s hard to tell where the line between real news and “Entertainment Tonight” is.
We can thank O.J. Simpson for proving that, sadly, many Americans find such tabloid reporting interesting, and the rise of the cable news channels with 24 hours to fill each day for feeding and perpetuating that hunger for the sordid. Programs I normally enjoy, like “Hannity and Colmes” on FoxNews become intolerable during periods of celebrity legal scandals, especially when sex is alleged.
i hate michael jackson, i mean i liked him back in the day when he was still black and sang thriller and all that good stuff, but not only is he personally disgusting, i suspect that he is totally guilty of all these charges. I agree that the news converage is excessive about him, but hey, people love to see the famous get punished.
i hate michael jackson, i mean i liked him back in the day when he was still black and sang thriller and all that good stuff, but not only is he personally disgusting, i suspect that he is totally guilty of all these charges. I agree that the news converage is excessive about him, but hey, people love to see the famous get punished.