I have come to the conclusion that America is full of sickos. Let me back up a bit and preface my accusation with a little perspective. As we all know, this has been a rough few weeks for Hollywood. We have bid farewell to the likes of a Charlie’s Angel, a legendary sidekick, a pitchman kingpin, and the King of Pop himself. Not to mention a kung fu master with some questionable sexual interests. And now Steve McNair. Indeed, it is a bit of a dark time to be a celebrity. But in my opinion, it is a far darker time to be a consumer of the media.
Now I’m never shy to indict CNN, MSNBC or even TMZ, but I must officially denounce the American websurfers as well. With each high-profile passing, the media coverage is becoming more and more intrusive. It is no longer acceptable to simply report a celebrity’s death. Oh no, today’s Americans are thirsty for much more. In 2009 when a celebrity passes, the media saturates television, websites and publications with pictures and videos of the deceased. No one was satisfied by the news of Michael Jackson’s death until they could see his body on the gurney. Farrah Fawcett’s final struggle just had to be documented for a reality special. Even the photo of David Carradine from a Thai newspaper showing the scene of his death has leaked all over the Internet, and people are licking their chops to get a glimpse.
The latest celebrity invasion to step over the line was the leaked 911 call from spokesman Billy Mays’s wife after she found her husband dead Sunday morning. Anyone who has been unfortunate enough to have to call 911 can tell you that this may be one of the most devastating moments anyone can experience. The fact that people all over America are hunching over their laptops to listen in to this poor woman is appalling.
I fear the trend is a slippery slope. I’m not saying I want to return to the days when saying a woman was pregnant on TV was a cardinal sin, but I don’t want to see Celebrity Autopsies with Dr. Drew on VH1’s new summer sweeps lineup. The line between decency and intrusion has been crossed, and we are quickly moving into the realm of pure exploitation. The Internet is a Mecca for accessing guilty pleasures, and the further we let it go, the deeper the moral rift is going to become. The media is going to sensationalize as much as we allow them to. It’s up to the public to simply stop tuning in.
So, for all you who have been playing your Thriller albums on constant loop all week, I say knock yourselves out. Just remember that there is a difference between paying respects and indulging morbid curiosity.
Mike DiMarco is a senior English major. He can be reached at dimarcodbk@gmail.com.
