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The War on Terror is officially over. The saturation coverage given this week to the extradition of one allegedly guilty but certifiably creepy recluse proves that the media, at least, has moved on.
Listen up, because I'm unlikely to mention the name Jon Benet Ramsey again in this blog. Ever. I have nothing but sympathy for the girl, whose story is certainly a tragedy of near-Shakespearean proportions. Beginning with her life as a toy poodle, and right through to the desecration of her life by the profit-hungry media hordes, she's been thorougly mistreated. I can hardly contain my disgust at the whore-iffic treatment the media -- including the supposedly "serious" news outlets -- give to this story, which just won't die. I suppose that the capture of the supposed murderer is worthy of note in the respectable press, but the saturation frenzy coverage is more in the tradition of P.T. Barnum or the Roman Forum than of Edward R. Murrow. (See the brilliant Daily Show from Aug. 21 for proper perspective on this).
I say near-Shakespearean because a real Shakespearean tragedy requires the involvement of a person of consequence at some point in the plot, and thus far the characters in this B-movie are all people who owe their fame entirely to the circus. If the Kennedy Assasination had recieved this level of coverage and media scrutiny, we'd have the whole cabal of spooks responsible for that behind bars by now. Heads of state, struggles for power, a beautiful wife, communists -- now THERE is a Shakespearean tragedy. The "serious" media utterly abandoned that tale decades ago. Nobody believes the official explanation at all, but it's a fig leaf covering an embarrassing episode, and the big media outlets seem to have agreed to just leave it alone. They treat UFOs with more credibility than any new investigation into the murder of a U.S. president.
But I digress. My main point is that the Return of Ramsey is a major signpost. It may signal a sort of emergence from the mass mania which has gripped this country since 9/11, and perhaps in that light it should be welcomed. Remember the 90s, when America was great and things seemed to be going our way? Palestinians and Israelis were talking to each other, jobs were booming, the government turned surpluses, doomsday seemed farther and farther away. The government was in competent hands, and important people were actually doing something about welfare, the environment, AIDS, etc. We had time for little diversions like O.J., Elian Gonzalez, etc.
We're a long way from that sort of happy prosperity, I know, but is this at least a sign that America is at last awakening from its half-decade-long fear-induced stupor? Can I hope?
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6 comments:
I agree with the comments about Jon Benet. While sad, this is getting ridiculous. I am not one to say "The good days were great," because chances are you're just getting old and today ain't so bad, either. Christian conservatives are living it up in the 00's! Don't rain on their parade.
Don't forget the summer before 9/11. All we heard about were shark attacks. Every day, a new shark attack. There was nothing to complain about on a regular basis, so we got shark attacks daily. Hey, those news people do something even when nothing was going on (or maybe they could have been investigating why the FBI and CIA couldn't come together and track terroism suspects, but alas, hindsight is 20/20).
Every story can be bigger, bolder, better. There are talking heads that will say anything to get on TV, and usually do. You could go out and create a REAL news channel, but it'd just sink in the ratings because "Katie Couric LIVE from Beirut" could be on another channel.
Hey guys,
I have no comments regarding this particular issue, more of a general criticism of your blog structure.
I humbly suggest the author be identified at the top of each entry in big bold letters, rather than in the fine print at the end.
I bring this up because while I was reading the entry about garage sales and the ramifications thereof, I was forced to conjure a mental image of our beloved Scot tearfully parting with his beloved velvet red dress.
Not that there is anything wrong with cross-dressing per se. And, it explained a great many things about Scot to me in my mind. That is, until I discovered that the post (and dress) belonged to his lovely wife, Trase.
Sadly, though my initial impressions were indeed false, my mind shall forever from this day forward be blighted with the image of a very precocious Scot frolicking in a charming red velvet dress.
It's quite sad, really. I think the dress accentuated the freckles quite nicely.
Your Faithful Reader,
Marty
Fine. All your bitching and kvetching finally compelled me to move the name of the writer to the top of the post. I hope you're fricking happy. You're ruining my life. Gosh.
There has been plenty of sensationalized news since 9/11. In 2003, the most covered news story on television (in minutes of air time) was the war, understandably. A close second was the story about the murder of Laci Peterson. Maybe JonBenet is different, since she comes from the previous era.
My parents never told me about "The Boogie Man" but it was a story I knew from friends. It's a parent's worst fear that something terrible will happen to a child. I know this! I think this is what keeps these missing children stories so fresh for so many people. There really are "Boogie Men" ("Bogey Men"). This does not justify the excessive coverage that our 3-Stooges TV news media gives to such cases. That is sheer profiteering, in my humble opinion.
I suppose my main concern is that adopting the story of this particular girl is entirely arbitrary. But as soon as a story is covered widely enough, millions of Americans with nothing better to do latch on and begin to care passionately about this one particular random victim. The swarm becomes a frenzy, and coverage explodes tenfold. Voila -- you have stories like this one.
I think it would make a fascinating academic study -- what is it that sends a story over the tipping point?
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