Nerve Endings Firing Away

It takes one of their kind to finally call out their sneaky tactics. Washington Post reporter Eugene Robinson finally decided that too much attention showered on babes. Coming from a woman, it sounds like a genuine rant and it sure makes sense if you have been wondering why certain women make it to the newswire and others do not. Laci Peterson. Elizabeth Smart. Lori Hacking. Chandra Levy. JonBenet Ramsey, Jessica Lynch, and now Natalee Holloway – America’s obsession, apart from wacky courtroom trials, with DiDs (damsel in distress) continues unabated. But not before few ‘stringent’ criteria are met. First, the DiD must be white and second, she must be reasonably attractive. Of course, this also applies to teachers who have slept with their students. Only the pretty ones make it to the TV screen; as if to imply that the boys had no choice. They just had their blood in the wrong place, they say shrugging their shoulders.

Of course, kids get kidnapped too maybe not as much as before but watching the news, you might think otherwise. Ultimately, the horror of kidnapping is the same for all kids but just like in school, cute kids beat out the regular ones for their mug shot on TV. Actual quote from an anonymous cable news insider: "We showcase missing, young, white, attractive women because our research shows we get more viewers. It’s about beating the competition and ad dollars." Defense rests.

Update: USA Today reports on a missing black woman after her aunt (a PR professional) tried contacting many media outlets to get attention (heck, the missing woman Tamika Huston is pretty too). Kevin Drum is glad that things seem to be changing, at least in some places.