I'm a little tired of watching cable news right now. I would like to know what's going on in the world. Instead I am subjected to endless reports on Natalee Holloway.

Now, please don't get me wrong. I would like for her to be found as much as the next person. I am sorry for her family because it's obvious that they are only looking for her body right now. It's a horrible situation all around, but I'm failing to see why so much coverage is being devoted to her story, other than that it's apparently a slow news summer.

That and the fact that the networks apparently needed another pretty young thing to focus on.

I'm tired of this. And I mean, I'm really, really tired of this. Women, it appears, are only of value to the tee vee news networks if they disappear or are murdered horribly. And if they're pretty. They do have to be pretty. Because no one really focuses on the ugly, fat women that disappear or are murdered, do they? Apparently you have to be white, with big eyes, carefully groomed hair, and tastefully applied makeup to rate. Oh, and it helps if you're skinny as well. You can have some extra meat on your bones, but only if you're pregnant. Cable and network news have taken a cue from Hollywood on this one: if they can't cast you as the girl next door, you don't rate.

The families must really have a heck of a time submitting snapshots to the networks, don't you think? Good God, the pressure of that choice must be horrible on top of everything else. And I'm not being sarcastic. Can you imagine what it must be like, to be in that situation, to want desperately to get the word out about it, and then have to find a recent snapshot that's exceedingly good? One that shows your loved one at their finest? Because you'd know that the media wouldn't deign to cover the story if your loved one just had a mistake of a haircut or color job? Or if they were having a bad time keeping control of their weight? It must be a horrible thing to know that their physical beauty could be the one thing that might make the difference. That's a double-edged sword if there ever was one.

I'm weary of this. While I'm sorry for Miss Holloway and her family, I just don't see where this is news. Reporting the latest rumor about which of the four well-connected Arubans contacted their lawyer today is not news. There are literally hundreds of other women who are murdered or go missing every day of the week. I'm sure the fact she went missing in Aruba, a nice tropical locale---with plenty of posh hotels for all the reporters to stay in---isn't hurting matters, either, but let's face facts: it's because she's pretty that her disappearance is a priority story. And that's just wrong.

What's even worse is the number of people who are lapping this story up. And by that you know who I mean, don't you? Yes, that's right. I'm talking about the viewers. They have been devotedly tracking this story, like they knew her when they didn't. The networks at least have the excuse that they're only providing what the public wants. What excuse does the viewing public have? Yes, they can claim they're only interested in the story; that there seems to be an epidemic of violence against women, and that concerns them; that they're interested in poor Natalee's fate. And I suppose those are legitimate excuses, up to a point. But, what I would like to know is that if they're so interested in this particular missing-persons case, why aren't they interested in all the other missing persons cases? Perhaps the ones they read a quick blurb about in the paper? Or see on their local news? Because it's not logical to say that you're interested in this case, but not all the others. Unless, the real reason they're interested in is because poor Natalee is pretty. Could that possibly be it? Hmmm. I wonder.

Everyone's guilty on this one. The people who watch, and the people who provide the content. And I'm tired of being guilty by association in this little media festival of the grotesque because there's nothing else on. I feel dirty after watching some of these reports. And I'm really tired of feeling that way.

Posted by: Kathy at 09:46 AM | Comments (11) | Add Comment
Post contains 749 words, total size 4 kb.