Why All the Fuss about MJ?

[LoneRider]

For weeks now it seems Michael Jackson's been on the news. Seriously. I ordinarily don't bother with media personalities in the news so much, but the fact that several of my buddies are Marines and soldiers in Afghanistan right now risking their lives day and night barely gets a glimpse. A woman from my part of Florida lost her son in Afghanistan and he wasn't even mentioned by name while this slimey, drug abusing child molester gets weeks of coverage! How ridiculous!

Sorry for ranting, I just needed to get this off my chest.

 

[Omar B]

It is a shame that this news had taken over all the networks. As much as I love MJ I recognize the inequity of the situation. Though the networks maybe think of it differently, a single soldier as weighed against a world renowned artist and humanitarian.

 

[zDom]

Haven't figured out this trend in supposedly serious national news media.

They gave more coverage/screen time to Anna Nicole Smith in the three months after her death than she ever got while she was alive.

I guess it must be a ratings thing.

 

[terryl965]

MJ who cares, I want to see what is being done about world hunger and what about global warming. Now we have to listen to dad talk about it might have been foul play, yea by his son and those damm pills he's been taking. The man was in debt for ove 184 million dollars and we are suppose to feel sorry for him.

 

[girlbug2]

I think it's about distraction. Celebrities get so much coverage because it stops us from thinking about serious issues, and asking hard questions.

 

[seasoned]

It has been obvious for years that all the Celebrities have all the money. They should stop wasting it on bull crap, and put it to good use. They spend most of their time avoiding taxes, while everyone kisses their butts. Just a rant, you know.

 

[Nolerama]

One of America's gods died.

 

[Flea]

Same as it ever was ...

During the trial of the guys who drove a bomb into the parking garage of the WTC (remember that one?) there was a media blackout because some retired football player stabbed his wife.

:idunno:

What astounded me was that I (blissfully) missed most of that. I was busy hitch-hiking around Africa. Imagine my shock when I saw the verdict on a little community newsletter at a greasy spoon in Francistown, Botswana. I had no idea the story was that big. I'm still a little clueless about the whole thing; when I left the States it was still a domestic violence story. I never did quite figure out how it refocused on race.

 

[LoneRider]

It has been obvious for years that all the Celebrities have all the money. They should stop wasting it on bull crap, and put it to good use. They spend most of their time avoiding taxes, while everyone kisses their butts. Just a rant, you know.

I think that this is the case, too, seasoned.

And I also think that America's true heroes very often go unappreciated at times in the media and it's something I think is a massive case of B.S.

 

[shesulsa]

Ever see how motorists behave when there's an accident on the freeway? It's called a looky-loo slow-down. And it's ****ed.

The fascination with other people's pain, humiliation, dirty secrets, rumors (true or false) is sickening yet an unavoidable reality.

Some of us may remember this hit; "Dirty Laundry" by Don Henley:

I make my living off the evening news
Just give me something-something I can use
People love it when you lose,
They love dirty laundry

Well, I coulda been an [COLOR=blue ! important][COLOR=blue ! important]actor[/COLOR][/COLOR], but I wound up here
I just have to look good, I dont have to be clear
Come and whisper in my ear
Give us dirty laundry

Kick em when theyre up
Kick em when theyre down
Kick em when theyre up
Kick em when theyre down
Kick em when theyre up
Kick em when theyre down
Kick em when theyre up
Kick em all around

We got the bubble-headed-bleach-blonde who
Comes on at five
She can tell you bout the plane [COLOR=blue ! important][COLOR=blue ! important]crash[/COLOR][/COLOR] with a gleam
In her eye
Its interesting when people die-
Give us dirty laundry

Can we [COLOR=blue ! important][COLOR=blue ! important]film[/COLOR][/COLOR] the operation?
Is the head dead yet?
You know, the boys in the newsroom got a
Running bet
Get the widow on the set!
We need dirty laundry

You dont really need to find out whats going on
You dont really want to know just how far its gone
Just leave well enough alone
Eat your dirty laundry

Kick em when theyre up
Kick em when theyre down
Kick em when theyre up
Kick em when theyre down

Kick em when theyre up
Kick em when theyre down
Kick em when theyre stiff
Kick em all around

Dirty little secrets
Dirty little lies
We got our dirty little fingers in everybodys pie
We love to cut you down to size
We love dirty laundry

We can do the innuendo
We can dance and sing
When its said and done we havent told you a thing
We all know that crap is king
Give us dirty laundry!

 

[Flea]

Can we film the operation?
Is the head dead yet?
You know, the boys in the newsroom got a
Running bet
Get the widow on the set!
We need dirty laundry

Sad, but that's very much how it works. I was in journalism (ptooey!) for a few years, and we actually kept running bets at times. Seriously! When our governor got busted for having an affair and he held a press conference to confess, we literally popped popcorn as it came on TV. Hard to have sympathy for such stories that should be non-events anyway, but ... sick to take that kind of callous schadenfreude. I'm so grateful to out of that business.

 

[jarrod]

guys, you don't seem to understand the gravity of the situation. a former child star who was abused by his father died of a drug overdose. we must find out who's responsible for this!

jf

 

[Jade Tigress]

Why? Because he was a pop culture icon with LOTS of skeletons in the closet, considered a freak by many, considered a god by many.

As Shesulsa so aptly pointed out with Don Henley's song, give us dirty laundry.