JPF Home Page Forums General Messages Brian Austin Whitney Blog Friday, August 31st, 2007

Hi Folks,

Is it just me or are any of you bothered by the obsessive attentioned paid to the Princess Diana 10th death anniversary extravaganza that all US media outlets are obsessed over?

I blame the family first. Diana was killed by overzealous media trying to cover her. It caused her drunk driver to wreck and kill them all. So gee, let's invite the media blitz out again to cover the anniversary of her death. That makes a lot of sense. Let's feed the monster that killed her... yeah... right.

I blame the media second. It's exploitation at its worst. It's all the things that are bad about media today on display. It removes any respect I have for any of those covering this crap completely. Lame. Sick. Sad. There are so many serious issues in the world being ignored. The media can make a positive difference on many of them by shining their bright lights in that direction. But they don't. That's because of the third culprit. It is particularly egregious that the US media is in a frenzy. We don't give this level of respect and adoration for any US citizens. We certainly don't bat an eyelash in the media for the dead soldiers or firefighters. When I was in Charleston, SC I was staying near the site where a large group of firefighters were killed in a burning factory collapse. We drove by the site several times. Where was the all day coverage of their sacrifice?

I blame the people who actually watch or care about this third. If your life is so hollow that you get caught up in the coverage of a priveledged princess whose lifestyle led to her death long after she was divorced from the son of a ceremonial political leader from a system that suggested that power and wealth is a birthright then I feel sorry for you. Look, this isn't entertainment. It's mass culture worship gone awry. I am all for mindless fun entertainment. But this isn't it. What purpose does this fill in your life beyond a sick voyeurism? Hoping to catch a famous person in attendance? Yikes.

Sorry folks.. but this is such a symptom of a problem we all have as a world community. I for one have tuned out of all of it and I hope it blows over. In the meantime I am working a newsletter and itinerary for the Roadtrip where I at least hope to have a positive impact on a few people and also on my own life by getting out and meeting people face to face rather than just via email.

Brian

Unfortunately it seems to the the times we live in.
I can't understand for the life of me this world's obsession with celebrities. Lets see, you've got E.T, The Insider,and their wretched ilk {All Paris, Anna Nicole, Britney, Brad and Lindsay , all the time!!!} Then switch over to ESPN and it's all Micheal Vick and T.O all the time. Even the so-called "hard news" programs are obsessed with em'! Doesn't say much for our society as a whole. I wonder what Walter Cronkite thinks of this crap?

I remember, ten years ago, being absolutely dumbfounded that the coverage of Di's death completely overshadowed the fact that Mother Teresa had died as well...

Yeah.. Mother Theresa was a true world leader and example. Di, though she did some charity work, was a figurehead in that effort as opposed to MT who was hands on. Di was a party girl in the vein of Paris Hilton, so apparently that is the model of humanity that the masses really want. Ack.

Did Di ever actually DO anything in her life? We know Paris Hilton never has.

Brian

Yeah, me too.

The royal family are the worlds richest welfare recipients. Ben

Yes the American Media are still obsessed with the Princess Diana tragedy...even her 2 sons are quoted today as saying it is time to let it go..but the father of the boyfriend of Diana, who perished in the accident along with her..Mohammed Al Fayed an Egyptian billionaire,has spent millions of $ pursuing this.He has managed to get another offical "inquiry" into the accident,which starts in two weeks...it just keeps rolling on and on..but hey, if you were a lawyer and ol Mohammed is willing to stick dollars up your "jacksie" till the cows come home,to prove this was some sinister plot carried out on behalf of the British Government/Royal Family/MI5/.... even old one eyed Colombo would milk it to death....but hey,if it were you or i..who rattled into a concrete pillar in Paris...VERDICT!! Accident!!move on, end of story....but hey big bucks talk...that is one of the main reasons this story wont go away..it is all hypothetical bullshit made newsworthy by a hysterical media..ol Mohammed is coming from the angle, if you keep it in the public
eye,the public might start believing you...even after 10 years..and it makes good copy for the insatiable appetite nowadays for "celebrity"..it is gross abuse of power by the media,but that unfortunately is the age we live in nowadays..Editors of newspapers treat their readers with contempt,as do most television stations...they massage the facts to suit their own criteria..or their paymasters...and unfortunately drug ravaged skinny celebrities with more cash than brains,who have never done a hards days work,and who could do with a good feed,are elevated to icon status...that is... until the next anorexic,bullimic,bullimic anorexic,or anorexic bullimic, becomes flavour of the month...There used to be an old saying "if he/she were chocolate they would eat themselves"...not nowadays they don't..Terry Moore JPF NEWS...

Gee,
I thought I was the only one tired of all this crap. It all boils down to the News Outlets needing a News Story and as long as these types of things happen you will get regular doses of it.

We still have people trying to prove that the Kennedy Assination was a conspiracy. There is any number of news items the news could publish from all parts of the country but I think they are too lazy to check most of it out so we get repeats of what is currently the biggest thing out there.

It is like the wife telling the husband, who is paying no attention to her, honey I totaled the car. That's nice dear. What's for dinner?

I think The Onion news-parody website totally nailed the U.S. TV news situation with this video:

http://www.theonion.com/content/video/beyonce_unhurt_after_stray_bullet?utm_source=videomrss_65839

The Onion rules!

That's a classic. And totally accurate. It's so true to life if it played on TV I bet very few people would even find it odd or out of place.

Brian

Actually, I didn't even know it was the 10th anniversary, nor did I know about the media coverage, until my mother mentioned that she'd watched it last night. The same with 9/11, which is coming up shortly. Every year I avoid all the anniversary "celebrations" of watching footage that is to me nauseatingly tragic. I was griefstricken for weeks after it happened, thinking about all those horrid deaths. I don't need to relive it every year. There is enough grief and horror in the world that is happening right now, I don't see why we have to replay the past. And think of how difficult it is for the people who lost their loved ones to have to see the media frenzy every year. People DIED. Let's have some respect for those that remain, and leave them to grieve in peace.
H

It is a fact that the news mediums deal mainly in bad news. They cannot survive without keeping the public in a negative state so that concepts of fear or feelings of loss will cause them to buy more rags and newspapers or watch the news. Negativity IS their stock-in-trade. Happy thoughts and good deeds do not inspire attention to the news. It will remain that way until people come up in awareness enough to not buy into this game of rumor-mongering and fear-peddling. I sincerely hope that day will come. Meanwhile, I choose not to read or watch anything negative unless I need to know about it or can assist in changing it. It helps to keep me out of the game.

I never thought about it quite that way Heidi, but sure knew that was the way it was. Guess I underestimated you. (Not that I thought of you negatively before <G>)
Wy

The number one way to sell any product is to have it solve/resolve a fear and then advertise the hell out of the fear itself offering the product as the solution. Too fat? That's BAD. Buy this. Too bald? That's BAD. Buy this. Too sad? That's BAD. Buy this. Too uncool? That's BAD. Buy this. Too old? That's BAD. Buy this. Too young? That's BAD. Buy this. Too thin? That's BAD. Buy this. etc. Or Bugs will get you. Buy this. People will steal from you. Buy this. People will laugh at you. Buy this. People think you smell bad. Buy this.

So fear is not going away. Advertisers/corporations need it. And everyone (politics, media etc) serve the corporations. End of story.

Brian

Brian,
Yes, advertisers do surveys to find the "buttons" (things that push a high level of interest) and then they incorporate those "buttons" into their promotional campaigns.

The news mediums are aware that some of the biggest "buttons" are "fear and loss," and so they promote news to push those very "buttons."

I have to believe that a time will come when at least our American public will rise above "fear and loss" as buttons and so respond to a higher level of button such as "joy or good help." Fear can go away if the general public is no longer controlled by it. The only way they will no longer be controlled by it to remove the "button" on it. I have seen this done hundreds of times over in individuals. That is why I am hopeful that this ability to remove lower forms of "buttons" will eventually be more widespread, resulting in an overall rise in the emotional reaction or "buttons" of our public.

There is a workable solution. However, attendant to the rampant fear and loss "buttons" also comes the fear of looking at anything unfamiliar or unaccepted by the masses. Thus, a catch- 22. It's kind of like the story of the guy on the roof of his home to avoid the floods who says he is waiting for God to send him an answer just as a boat floats by. He won't see the connection if his blinders are on too tight. And so, goes the boat. And so, goes the solution. And so, remains the problem.

Heidi

Couldn't care less about it. I think this is total media fascination in this country. No one would care if they didn't bring it up. I can't believe the time being devoted to it this week.