Public Quickly Tires of Stars it Creates (Eric Burns for Fox News)

FOXNews.com ^ | 11/14/03 | Scothia

[Scothia]

I was amazed by the response I got to last week’s column.

I wrote about a report on CBS’s "The Early Show" concerning a young man named Brian Simpson. Simpson had so severe a case of asthma that doctors despaired of his ever living a normal life. In fact, they despaired of his living a normal life span; they feared he would die in a few more years, and that he would be terribly incapacitated in the interim.

To make the time remaining to him as pleasant as possible, Simpson turned to the oboe. It seemed a perverse idea. Oboes are demanding instruments; it would seem as difficult for an asthmatic to play the oboe as it would be for a person with one arm to play the piano.

But somehow, almost magically, the instrument’s demands strengthened Brian Simpson’s lungs, and did so to such an extent that his lungs now function better than they have in years. As a result, his life has become filled with hope as well as music. And he will, apparently, not only prosper but endure.

Hundreds of people wrote to me about the column, virtually all of them delighted that so inspiring a story had forced its way through the constant media menu of murder and mayhem, scandal and deception. The credit, of course, is much more "The Early Show’s" than mine.

But the more I thought about it, the more it occurred to me that there is something else involved here. Brian Simpson’s story did not elicit so overwhelming a response just because it is positive, heartwarming, optimistic; it elicited so overwhelming a response because the star of the story is . . . well, not a star.

Elizabeth Smart is a star, and we are sick of her. We remain sympathetic to the horrible events which brought her to public notice, but we are appalled by her family’s obsession to turn those events into air time and a book and a continuing wallow in the public eye.

Jessica Lynch is a star, and we are sick of her. We remain sympathetic to the events which brought her to public notice, but we have had enough. More air time, another book -- and we are not even sure what happened to her or to what extent, if any, her rescue was stage-managed. We are sure only that the man who seems most responsible for the rescue, PFC Patrick Miller, a person who genuinely deserves some public attention, was known to hardly anyone until his genuine heroics were reported last week on CBS’s "60 Minutes."

[Scothia]

Burns articulates beautifully my own reactions to the Smart and Lynch stories, and many more like them. Too bad Fox won't read and heed their own columnists.

[JennysCool]

I'm confused by the post. You're listed as the author. Are you?

[litany_of_lies]

Burns article is good, but he misses a critical point: Brian Simpson was NOT a victim. Elizabeth Smart and Jessica Lynch have arrived at their celebrity status thanks to (small) bits of personal heroism but mainly BECAUSE of their victim status (kidnap survivor and POW survivor).

People love inspiring stories of accomplishment and overcoming odds. The press doesn't, and is aided by the fact that the truly inspiring people don't covet attention the way victims seem to, or learn to.

[sunryse]

Elizabeth Smarts family isn't "obsessed to turn those events into air time and a book and a continuing wallow in the public eye." They want control over what is said about thier daughter. They were told there would be movies, and books no matter what. So they decided to at least have some control over what was said about thier daughter. I don't blame them, if she were my daughter. I mean do you want the same people who made "The Reagans" to be doing the movie of the week about a horrific event that happened in your family?

[Scothia]

I'm confused by the post. You're listed as the author. Are you?

No, I'm sorry; thoughtless mistake and I don't know how to fix it. Eric Burns is the autthor.

[nutmeg]

FoxFan ping!

Please FReepmail me if you want on or off my FoxFan list. *Warning: This can be a high-volume ping list at times.

[Alamo-Girl]

Thanks for the heads up!

[Halleck]

"We are sure only that the man who seems most responsible for the rescue, PFC Patrick Miller, a person who genuinely deserves some public attention, was known to hardly anyone until his genuine heroics were reported last week on CBS's '60 Minutes.'"

PFC Patrick Miller was a POW when the rescue took place, wasn't freed for about 2 more weeks. He had nothing to do with the rescue, being in a prison at the time.