Media Matters

I was going to post about Alternet today -- about the good journalism they do and also the crap they write just to stir people up. I read Alternet headlines pretty much every day. The other day, I saw a headline that described Michael Jackson as "mediocre." I was so disenchanted with what appeared to be Alternet's obvious effort to just reverse what the mainstream media was saying that I didn't read the story ... but I read it today, figuring if I was going to rant on it, then I should at least be educated about where the writer was coming from.

It wasn't as obviously silly an article as many Alternet postings. The author (who has extensive music education under her belt) basically said that Michael Jackson was not a musical genius and didn't break down any racial barriers. She hypothesized that the United States has become used to praising mediocrity, hence the praise for Michael Jackson. And she said that Michael Jackson has failed to be relevant in years.

All of which are arguable points. I don't necessarily agree with her, but at least she did her homework. And I certainly don't understand why Michael Jackson is such an obvious black icon when it is more than clear he didn't father his children ... you don't get white kids like that from a black father. Especially not blonde-haired, blue-eyed kids. You just don't.

Honestly, what pisses me off more than Alternet articles obviously designed to counterbalance the mainstream media is the mainstream media itself. Some of the headlines you hear on shows like Access Hollywood -- seriously, nothing is sacred for those people. Any day now, I'm expecting to hear a report from someone who broke into his house and found his secret sex-toy stash, detailing exactly what he or she found. (That would work better if all his friends didn't insist he is asexual, which I personally agree with.)

I think what gets me about Alternet in particular is its tendency to state the obvious -- but not state the obvious at the same time. Today's article ("Relax: Adultery Is Not That Big of a Deal") discussed adultery through the ages, specifically citing the recent cases of Senator John Ensign, Governor Mark Sanford and Jon Gosselin (of Jon & Kate Plus 8 fame).

Don't get me wrong; I agree with the premise. I think people make too big of a deal regarding adultery. Especially as regarding Jon Gosselin -- seriously, who on the ever-less-green earth cares about what Jon & Kate get up to in their spare time? Who? Who even watches that show on a regular basis? (Probably millions of people; just not me.)

But you know what? When you belong to a political party that has taken its song-and-dance about marriage so far as to deny marital rights to certain people just because they don't have the correct mix-and-match genitalia ... when you belong to a political party that does its damndest to legislate morality ... when you belong to a political party that refuses to accept what modern science has to say about pretty much anything, instead holding up a book finished and edited hundreds and hundreds of years ago as the go-to authority on everything ... then I say, yes. Adultery is a big deal. That book they love so much says that the only acceptable reason for divorce is adultery.

You can't have it both ways. You can't run around trying to tell everyone else how to live their lives when you can't even uphold some simple marriage vows. Grr!

And here is my final argument for why the media is sucking lately: I read a story about the upcoming Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows film. In it, Hermione and Ron finally kiss. The article said that the movie is being split into two different films (true) and that they weren't sure in which film the kiss would appear.

Um. The kiss happens at the end of the book. Not even close to the middle. Spoiler alert for those of you who haven't read it: The three friends are at Hogwarts, getting ready for the final showdown with Voldemort, and Ron says something about warning the house-elves in the kitchens, lest they be in danger from the fighting. Hermione throws her arms around him and kisses him. (I am not sure how they're going to do this in the film, as Hermione isn't nearly as strident about elf rights in the movies as she is in the books. But, whatever.) My personal thought is that they're going to split the movie as Harry and his friends get captured and taken to Malfoy Manor. That will be the end of one film/beginning of another. In any event, if they manage to squeeze everything up to and including the kiss in the first movie -- then the second movie will only be about an hour long. And if they move the kiss to earlier on in the story, this reader will be PISSED.

That is all.