Public Fascination
But Americans have fickle interests. Once Barack Obama was elected president, the American public's fascination quickly jumped to the newest person of interest. And of course, the media came long for the ride. The public wanted, like with all celebrities, to know as much about him as possible. That is fine, to a point. But what happened bordered on the disturbing. The media swarmed all around the new first family. And who would think it wasn't a little creepy that the cable news networks went so far as to follow Obama's daughters to their first day at school? Showing the school's lunch menu to the public? This is when the situation became absurd. But this also reflects on the culture of the American public as well. People are obsessed with celebrity. The countless gossip rags, T.V stations, and blogs can attest to that. Perhaps it is an ingrained American desire to rise above our lot, and subsequently worship those that have. Or maybe it is a deep-seated loneliness and a desire to know someone, anyone, intimately. Regardless, this is the root of the Obama situation. But the sad fact is that the mainstream media was the one who indulged the public, not the celebrity watchers. This is disheartening because it is not the media's job to cover such things. It is to investigate and to protect the public, and if this is what the American media has devolved into, another source to indulge the public, then the country is in a sorry state indeed.
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
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