Posted on 07/09/2011 7:30:37 AM PDT by Kaslin
What is the fascination with Casey Anthony? One 96-year-old grandmother in Alabama was so fixated; she knew the names of Casey’s entire family, the defense team, the witnesses and prosecutors. The Nielsen ratings demonstrated clearly that millions of Americans spent hour upon hour of their own precious lives watching this tragic scenario unfold. But why?
Some say it’s because Caylee Anthony was a pretty little girl…her mom somewhat pretty…and white. A less attractive mother or child or a minority would not get the same attention, they argue. Maybe so. It probably did contribute to media coverage. Visual appeal is an important criteria for television. Storms are perfect as are accidents and people moving about in all sorts of ways. Thinking doesn’t play well on TV. Neither does nobility or thoughtfulness. Rash, erratic behavior…boorish rudeness…aggression….overt sexuality. These look good on camera.
It certainly was the common denominator with the media obsession over Natalee Holloway, La Crosse beauty Yeardley Love…Nicole Smith and Scott & Laci Peterson. It might explain why they got media attention, but it doesn’t explain why we watched it. Why did we watch it? Why did we devote hours of our own lives…hours we can never reclaim on the OJ trial?
Is it uplifting to the soul? Does it make us smile? Do we come back into our own reality feeling better? Does it challenge the intellect? Does it make us grateful? Does it encourage us to achieve? Does it energize or motivate?
It does none of these. Watching the Casey Anthony saga or any other tabloid tail is a squandering of your life. It is a misdirection of your mental energies. Gambling drains precious financial resources causing you to neglect paying your bills. Inordinate amounts of time spent watching this kind of coverage drains other precious resources; your time and your attention. The amount you have of that is finite. It can never be reclaimed. While children or spouses or friends or needy neighbors or responsible citizenship or just plain hard work clamor for us, we blithely turn to the screen, seemingly paying no price, or at least, none we can feel in the moment.
One has only to visit the homes of America’s Founding Fathers to be amazed at their accomplishments. Thomas Jefferson was an inventor….Benjamin Franklin, the Ambassador to France, developed a printing press, founded the U.S. Post Office, invented electricity, the kite, and the Franklin Stove. In his spare time he helped write the Constitution and found the United States of America. George Washington was a surveyor and horticulturalist. Many wrote books, learned astronomy, French, Latin, and Greek while they were already busy adults.
What will future generations say of us? Will they remember all we accomplished or the hours we spent motionless, living vicariously thru the tawdry lives of others?
Did the great men of our past write noble things and think noble thoughts by accident? No. It is undeniable that we become what we surround and saturate our minds with. Advertising executives know this well. So do Leftist educators who have given us a generation of people who reflect the propaganda of their textbooks. Long time hostages can come to think and act like their captors. Imbibing pornographic images can cause men to act upon and think thoughts they would not otherwise have entertained. Romance novels find their power in stirring up female fantasies, destroying marriages that in other generations might have been saved. It matters what we read and see and listen to.
We are not forced to absorb such banality. We choose to absorb it. And we can choose not to. Americans are obsessed with diet. They understand that processed foods, carbohydrates and sugars make them fat. They don’t seem to understand that taking things into the mind without discipline produces fat, sluggish minds. Bad content produces bad results. And we can change both. We know how to discipline our bodies so how about our minds?
Ben Franklin actually formed a “Young Men’s Society” for the purpose of achieving character. Members worked toward obtaining one attribute at a time; honesty…generosity…humility. You can imagine it was an uphill battle, but it was, at least, up hill.
Casey Anthony’s story is tragic, but it is not important to all of us who are strangers. Turn the television off realizing that each moment that remains is precious.
While I may make an occasional comment on this specific case, I am almost cauterized to the mentality of those who without one ounce of common sense say the 'system' worked. IF the system worked then why is the state entertaining the notion a new law is required to have people with custody of children now be required to report a child missing within 48 hours and an 'accidental' death (cough cough) within 2 hours.
I think I will now go a make myself some 'sun' tea.
It's a media event meant to deny oxygen to the GunWalker scandal.
The barbarians are already inside the gates and running this country over a cliff. Casey Anthony..with her evil sociopathic smile and narcissism is the perfect illustration of what is happening to this country.
People have been fascinated with the battle of good vs. evil since time immemorial. It will always be so.
Those who rail against human nature just don't "get it."
Oh please. You are ignorant of the evidence in this case. You are the one who looks foolish.
Looks like Mark Levin started lynch mob of his own by lumping this together with his “statist” accusations (which most of the time I have agreed with). The state was not out to get an innocent Casey Anthony. You are off track.
I agree with you. She is the classic “bad seed,” also known as “born to hang.”
I doubt she will stay out of trouble once released.
What is the fascination with Jack the Ripper, the Black Dahlia, the Zodiac, Jeff Dahmer, the Uni Bomber, the Clutter family murders that sparked In Cold Blood, Jeffrey McDonald?
Ask people who write crime novels if they can sell their books.
There is a huge amount of interest in the who, what, when, where, how, and why.
Diabolical stories about diabolical people. They may be bad, but how they act is interesting.
That simple.
Dittos. She actually reminds me of Obama in a wierd way. She snowed alot of people with her good looks and ‘easy manner’ all of her life. She never worked or provided for herself or her child. She thought every thing should be handed to her and when it wasn’t handed to her..she just took it anyway. When people or things got in her way..she just lied. Even her own precious child..she eventually threw in a swamp to rid herself of responsibility and self reliance.
The other night I saw one of the mediatards complain the the defense failed to prove Anthony’s innocence.
Duh.
Most of the people who are so mad about this verdict, are mad at the jury. We need to use this anger to educate!
When your non-political, or feel good liberal friend/relative comments on how the jury didn't use common sense, reply “Now you know how I feel when it comes to politics.” We keep seeing the electorate (jury) elect corrupt politician after corrupt politician. The electorate seems to not understand they have a responsibility to know both sides of every argument, and a duty to follow the Constitution. Of course, if they don't agree, make them a challenge. I will tell you, without snark, why most voted for Barak Obama, you tell me, without snark, why I voted for Sarah Palin. They won't be able to do it.
As an aside, on a political level, it would be far better if conservatives could tap into the that basic human nature, and the American psyche, and come create effective rhetoric, images, and messages that will resonate. Apparently this is rocket science, as time and time again they fail miserably.
Okay, off my soapbox. Back to the program.
Man...are WE ever on the same page. GMTA!
I am so sick and tired of this circus act that I could scream. It isn’t hard to understand why I rarely watch the media acts on TV.
Hah it is none of my business what other people watch. I didn’t care about the trial or the verdict.
You are welcome. ;)
Wise or conservative people realize there there will always be tragedies and injustices in the world, most of them local matters of no actual importance to most people’s lives.
In the past, these matters were local, and unnoticed by the multitudes.
Now, they are an infectious distraction from what it important. Prurient interest only.
You are a true conservative and I applaud you for your honesty.
I have been driving to work the last two weeks with a handful of CDs I have burned from broadcasters such as BBC Radio 4 (In Our Time, Start the Week, Thinking Allowed, the Play of the Week, and Friday Night Comedy), Australia Radio National (StarStuff, All in the Mind, the Philosopher's Zone, and Ockham’s Razor), the VOA Science Show and the Making of a Nation, and Earth and Sky. I also download and burn the Lutheran Hour and Our Daily Bread. A CD lasts about one commute, and I have been able to learn considerably. Now I'm burning good articles in science and literature as well.
The Bible is also on CD, thanks be to God.
The NEXT car I get will have the ability to put in a flash drive, but I don't begrudge the cost in CDs. It's like eating steak after the mindless candy of radio in this country. Even talk radio is not as educational as solid articles written by smart people.
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