Anomalous Data - CNNare some sick sick puppies

Wednesday, January 24, 2007

I'm sitting here, the night that the President gave his SOTU. Sporatically, there is a mention of the main themes of the speech, and a terse sentance or two describing the rebuttal.

Then they spend a stomach-churning amount of time trying to whip me up into a frenzy about Dakota Fanning's participation in an on-screen rape scene, which they assure me, is graphic and disturbing and very very ~~likely to boost ratings~~, ~~guaranteed to keep people nailed to their couches 'till the next commercial break~~, bad.

I havn't seen the movie. I am not likely to see the movie. I'm not competent to decide if a crime was comitted, or if Ms. Fanning is mature enough to decide to participate in her own choices on the matter. I'm not qualified to say anything about the appropriatness of her parents giving their consent. I trust that people who ARE qualified, and who DO see the movie will do their jobs.

I just know that I don't want to see it, and as such, I would really really really appreciate it if my news presenters didn't insist on infusing my news with the words "Child rape" over and over and over again.

It would also be really great if they didn't look and sound so damned self-serving, self-satisfied, and exceited while saying it. Over and over and over again.

Wednesday, January 24, 2007 1:53:56 AM (Central Standard Time, UTC-06:00) | Comments [3] | Personal

Wednesday, January 24, 2007 9:26:39 AM (Central Standard Time, UTC-06:00)

I heard bits and pieces of the Dakota Fanning thing on our local news this morning. What I *did* learn, was that you don't actually *see* much. Her face. Her hand. Her leg. There is no simulated sex involving Dakota. It's a highly-controversial and disturbing subject - and just the fact that it actually happens proves that this can be a sick, sick world. I haven't seen the film, and I don't intend to; but to attack the producers, director and actors, I think this is a case of people wanting to "shoot the messenger".

Cripes, don't these people remember "Pretty Baby" with Brooke Shields, oh so many years ago?

Kristi

Wednesday, January 24, 2007 11:29:10 AM (Central Standard Time, UTC-06:00)

Brief take from a Dakota Fanning interview where she was asked about the contraversy about the scene and what she thought about it: her response was something along the lines of "there are real girls being raped every day. That's a much more important story than a movie, talk about that."

She goes up a few notches in my book.

magicmarmot

Wednesday, January 24, 2007 12:03:11 PM (Central Standard Time, UTC-06:00)

But it is easier to get outraged over a movie. It is cheaper to say "producers shouldn't create shocking material."

People can get all heated up over that and not have to leave their couches or spend any money.

They can pass a law that says no child actor should ever be employed to help depict a violent sexual crime, and it will stop most producers, who are law-abiding citizens.

People can feel like they've won a huge victory in the "culture wars" with very little expense and effort.

In the mean time, the REAL problem (which is difficult and requires consistant committment in the form of man-hours, specialized training, and money)continues unabated; except for the occasional outraged call to mutilate accused perpetrators in some sort of bizzare mob-justice. That, or hand-wringing about how, if schools just started off the day with a required prayer, stuff like this wouldn't happen.

Actual enforcement, certainty of punishment, guarantee of justice and rule of law is so frickin' HARD and EXPENSIVE. Plus, it just doesn't get ratings.

Teresa

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