Looking Out My Back Door

December 8 (and other stuff that pisses me off)

Giving Media Coverage To Total Asswipes
December 8th marks the 25th year (I refuse to call it an anniversary) since John Lennon's murder. The NBC network has decided to devote one of its newsmagazine's hour of power to the loser who pulled the trigger (and has been running promos for a couple of weeks). Yoko Ono is reportedly pissed off, too, and I don't blame her a bit. Why glorify Lennon's murderer? That's one of the reasons why he shot Lennon in the first place, and why, like so many who kill to feed their tiny little egos, he's in "protective custody" in prison -- because of other idiots who would feed off the fame of being the one who killed him (or Charles Manson, or any of the other notorious prisoners who really belong on Death Row). Yes, it's a vicious cycle for predators. Why would NBC do this? Ratings, of course. It's sweeps month, and ad rates can rise or fall depending on the network's performance. Personally, I hope this show (and others like it) tanks and takes everyone involved in its production down with it. NBC, you suck.

Wrongly Comparing People to Other People
Now don't go thinking I'm a total Lennonhead (Paul is actually my favorite Beatle), but I also get pissed off when I hear Nirvana's Kurt Cobain called "the John Lennon of his generation." Exqueeze me? Baking powder? Cobain didn't have the amount of talent, nor the body of work, that Lennon had in his little fingernail. Are we supposed to revere this "tortured artist" because he took the coward's way out and blew out his supposed brains? Compare him to Lennon? No way. One hit song, a few albums, numerous overdoses, a notorious wife and a "tragic death" does not place Cobain anywhere in Lennon's league. Plus, it's a disservice to whomever truly is that generation's Lennon. Not that one exists.

New Orleans
How much more suffering must these people endure? I just read Time magazine's cover story, which details the slowness and frustration of the city's rebuilding efforts and the effects on those who lost their homes (and much more) due to Hurricane Katrina. FEMA is cutting off hotel room benefits as of December 1 (indirectly choosing World AIDS Day; how appropriate for this unfeeling administration, which probably forgot all about that); insurance benefits are arriving late, if at all; and the government is balking at further financial aid. Yet, let there be an earthquake in Pakistan, and we're among the first to send money and other assistance. What's wrong with this equation? I have nothing against helping other countries, but when we are (supposedly) dealing with quite possibly THE worst natural disaster in our nation's history, charity begins at home. A few countries sent aid to the Gulf State area, which was nice, but the assistance the U.S. received was in no way comparable to what we dole out, all around the world, on a constant basis. My heart breaks for everyone who is trying to crawl out of the rubble created by the hurricanes, not just in New Orleans, but every part of this country that was affected. New Orleans has become the symbol of all that went wrong before and after the hurricanes. It is also one of my favorite places on this earth. I hope that the media will not let this story go.

There's plenty more out there that pisses me off (speaking of which, Happy Thanksgiving), but I've spewed enough venom in this post!

posted by Hopster @ 12:56 PM