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Oregon Daily Emerald
COMMENTARY
Editor in Chief:
Brad Schmidt
Managing Editor:
Jan Tobias Montry
Editorial Editor:
Travis Willse
Tuesday, November 18, 2003
EDITORIAL.
Smart, Lynch
latest victims
of exploitation
The American television industry's great tradition of cap
italizing on tragedy has been a thriving business of late.
Why, just last month, viewers were treated to the epic in
stant classic "D.C. Sniper: 23 Days of Fear," based on last
year's two-man rampage through the Washington, D.C.,
area with a sniper rifle, killing 10 people.
Thanks to the USA network, those who don't live on the
East Coast — and thus were not terrorized in person —
could catch it on the tube after dinner. Bring the kids, too,
we don't think they've seen enough horror yet.
But this month brought a menu of other tragedy and, dare
we say, propaganda, straight from reality to the television.
The story of Elizabeth Smart, whom CNN affectionately
refers to simply as "Elizabeth," was exploited nationally
this month on CBS. Smart, who was 15 years old at the
time, was abducted from her Utah home at knifepoint, pa
raded around in a veil and threatened for months before
she was found walking with her abductors in Salt Lake City.
Sounds pretty traumatizing. But what's traumatizing to
one little girl is naturally television fodder for the rest of
America, where a tear in the eye of the average Joe is
enough for corporate executives to showcase just about
anything. The media pounced on Smart's story like a
stuffed tiger on a tuna sandwich, and after months of in
tense coverage and controversy, it almost seemed like
young white girls from Utah were the only people who ever
get kidnapped in America.
After all, in the months after her rescue, American con
sumers were able to immerse themselves in the story. There
were the Elizabeth Smart talk show spots (Oprah, NBC To
day Show), the Elizabeth Smart news coverage, the Eliza
beth Smart book, the Elizabeth Smart tabloid headlines,
the Elizabeth Smart media battle and even the Elizabeth
Smart polls debating whether she's been on television too
much (50 percent of Utah citizens said 'yes'). Somewhere
in this mess of ratings people forgot that Smart endured a
harrowing experience, and despite the media blitz, nobody
seemed to ask why.
The story of Jessica Lynch is another example of media ex
ploitation of late, and unless any Americans locked them
selves in a bomb shelter this past year, chances are they've
heard about it. Lynch, a supply clerk with the 507th Mainte
nance Battalion, was captured by Iraqi forces and taken to a
local hospital during the recent campaign to topple Saddam
Hussein's government. Her daring rescue from the nearly
empty hospital, conveniently caught on tape and dissemi
nated to media outlets, served as an allegory to give viewers
that warm feeling inside during wartime and, arguably, dis
tract them from keeping track of the war's progress.
But people are captured and rescued all the time in war,
so why did Lynch become such a media darling?
Lynch's story, which has been ripe with controversy (Did
her gun jam or did she go down shooting? Was she raped
or was she treated well by doctors? Was she heavily guarded
or had her captors long since fled?) was beamed to mil
lions this month in NBC's "Saving Jessica Lynch."
Again, the brouhaha over what really happened did a dis
service to Lynch. Instead of being honored for her service, she
was centered around pointing fingers and heated arguments
about just how much she was hurt and whether she is really
the American hero. By the way, if the movie and news cover
age and tabloids and the official Jessica Lynch Web site didn't
give you enough, the book is out too.
Even more aggravating were the news stories following
the premier of both made-for-television movies about
which was more popular. Now we've got media coverage
on which tragedy garnered the most viewership.
But despite the frenzy, we remain confident that the televi
sion networks are hard at work with movies about myriad
other young girls and POWs who have faced similar situa
tions in the past. We'll be waiting patiently in front of the TV.
EDITORIAL BOARD
Brad Schmidt
Editor in Chief
Aimee Rudin
Freelance Editor
Jan Tobias Montry Ayisha Yahya
Managing Editor News Editor
Travis Wiilse
Editorial Editor
Steve Baggs Illustrator
3UST IN TINMe FOR THMKSGNIN6//
P’entzs
Oops, I did it again. I ve fallen in love.
With you.
So your new album comes out today,
and in honor of that event, you're touring
the world, you're appearing on television
more often than Ronnie of Ronnie's Stereo
and you're on more magazine covers than
President Bush.
In honor of your new album, I'm exert
ing a little less effort but will feel far more
pain. I'm declaring my love for you, Brit
ney. I may never be able to look a buddy
in the eye again but, dang it, I can't deny
my feelings! While many a "respectable"
columnist would decry your overtly sexual
image, I think I speak for a lot of males in
this country when I say, "Keep on truckin'!
We love you!"
How do I love you, Britney? Let me
count the ways. Reason No. 1 is your inno
cence. Any guy who tells you he doesn't
love the innocence of Britney is just plain
lying. Through his gums. I mean, this is a
girl who posed for a photo shoot with Es
quire magazine with no pants on. Inside,
she found her pants (well, bikini bottoms,
anyway) but somehow lost her shirt. It
must have shmnk in the wash. In the same
breath, she told the magazine she doesn't
see herself as a sexual icon.
“That's strange, and I don't think about
things like that," she said. "Why should I? I
don't have to deal with those people. I'm
concerned with the kids out there. I'm con
cerned with the next generation."
She's oblivious! I love it! She's a guilt
free pleasure. Like a Krispy Kreme donut
with no calories but all of the taste. Only
Britney could pose for a semi-nude pho
to shoot and still come across as inno
cent as Bambi.
Peter Hockaday
Today is Hockaday
Britney, I hate to break this to you, but
it's not about the music. It never really has
been, since the day the "Hit Me Baby, One
More Time" video landed on MTV. Your
new song with Madonna is called "Me
Against the Music." Well, in a fight against
the music, Britney, you're winning. You're
killing the music. The music is dying. The
people in the "Save the Music" campaign
should stop focusing on Napster and start
focusing on Britney.
But that's OK, because in the video for
"Me Against the Music," you almost kiss
Madonna. At the MTV Video Music
Awards earlier this year, you DID kiss
Madonna. And that not the music, is why
I love you. Madonna also kissed Christina
Aguilera, right after she kissed you, but
does anybody remember the Christina
kiss? Heck, no!
Secretly, we all know Christina's done it
before. She's dirrrrty. But when you kissed
Madonna it was scandal! Headlines! Low
morals! I don't know where I was going
with that. I guess I just wanted to rip on
Christina. She's so dirrrrty.
The worst part of that VMA kiss was
when they kept cutting back to damn
Justin Timberlake, scowling like a school
boy who just lost his ice cream cone.
Britney, I want you to know that if I ever
meet Justin on the street, I'll judo-chop
him on the neck and draw a mustache on
his face with permanent marker when he's
out cold. Ha ha. Shaved-head sucker.
But enough with the negativity. Back to
the things I love about you. Just one more
thing. I love this whole "I'm a grown-up
now, so I don't care what I do, and I don't
care what you think about it" thing. Brit
ney's hitting the clubs, partying it up,
drinking. She's not a girl, but she is a
woman now.
When . .Baby One More Time" came
out, Britney was 18 but looked 15. It was a
little wrong to like her so much. But now,
she's 21! She can go to bars, and she does!
Theoretically, I could buy Britney a vodka
tonic and she could ignore me for the rest
of the night! Theoretically.
Seriously, Britney, as you blossom, so
does your fan base. Don't listen to the
critics who say you're a bad role model
for kids. Forget the people who say
you're too scandalous. You just "feel
comfortable in my own skin," as you
told ABC's Diane Sawyer. "I think it's OK
to express yourself and be the way you
want to be."
Just keep expressing yourself, Britney. I
feel like I've expressed myself, even if it
means I'll have to wear a ski mask around
campus so people don't recognize me. It's
OK. It was worth it.
Now, just don't expert me to go out and
buy the new CD.
Contact the columnist
at peterhockaday@dailyemerald.com.
His opinions do not necessarily
represent those of the Emerald.