WEDNESDAY WONDERMENTS...

Is it me or has there been A LOT of extra drama in the news of late?? Okay, so I guess you're saying to yourself, "of late?!" I say that because I typically try NOT to watch the news. It's depressing and it seems there's never anything good to report. We all know positive news does not bring good ratings & could be considered by some to be boring. But I like good news. It beats the negativity of the daily dose that the news media dishes out.

Try as I might to avoid the news at all cost, one can't help but be 'aware' of what's going on thanks to social media. Our news media thrives on reporting sensationalist stories that get spun, retweeted, and shared all over social media. And to think I once aspired to be a journalist! Suffice it to say, I'm thankful I didn't pursue that path.

All the news of late has caused me to ponder many things. To keep from repeating what you've already read, I'll only offer my opinions on those stories that have gotten my attention.

PAULA DEEN DEBACLE

I've been a long-time fan of Paula's and her admission of using a racial slur some thirty plus years ago did not make me any less of one. I can assure you had a black man (or any man or woman, regardless of color or ethnicity, for that matter) held a gun to my head, he/she would have been called much worse. The mere fact Paula Deen hasn't backed down or retreated from this has increased my respect for this woman. She should never have had to appear on national television pleading with folks for forgiveness. If there's any aspect of this story that rubs me the wrong way it would have to be how our media has fixated itself on something that is 'old news'. They spun the story until it resulted in several of her sponsors pulling the plug on their support of her moving forward. They successfully attempted to dismantle Ms. Deen's image and career. I'd love to poll the powers that be of these corporations that made the decision to 'distance themselves' from Ms. Deen to see if they have ever been guilty of using racial slurs in their lifetime. I would bet not one could attest that they hadn't although my best guess would be the response would be a holier than thou non-admission of it. The thing that sets Ms. Deen apart from most is she spoke the truth...something our society knows little about these days. My hunches tell me the ones who will hurt the most are the sponsors who will lose millions because they will no longer have the PD brand to pin their revenues on because of a knee-jerk reaction for the sake of political correctness. Ms. Deen on the other hand will rebound stronger than ever. She has nothing to hide. In fact, she's the only one in all of this that has been truthful. The interim of this has merely been a hiccup in the road for her. She will have the last laugh and will be standing long after her sponsors have bitten the dust. Look at Martha Stewart and how she pulled time in the pen for corruption and money laundering and came away from it unscathed. These days few remember or recall that she even served time. And Ms. Stewart never admitted to anything and the media never raked her over the coals. I suppose that's the secret to being in the spotlight...play along and they will leave you alone.

TRAYVON MARTIN CASE

Regardless of which side of the fence you sit on regarding this case, this is a tragic story all the way around. A young man lost his life and in essence, any parent can't deny this could have been any one of our children instead. An adult male has to live the rest of his with the stigma of having shot a young man and being hated by those who feel he should have been burned at the stake. The fact of the matter is both subjects in this case had demons in their closets. "Martin was suspended from school; he was caught with a marijuana pipe; it was reported he had burglary tools in his locker; and it was recently revealed that pictures of marijuana plants and someone suspected to be Martin holding a gun were found on his cell phone." Zimmerman had encountered previous charges of domestic violence abuse. No one truly knows except Zimmerman, Martin (who can no longer speak for himself) & God, above what really happened that night. There has been much speculation based on the racism that the media has brought forth in this case. By all accounts, both individuals were hot-headed and irrational. Zimmerman completely ignored law enforcement warnings to stand down & not approach Martin. "Rachel Jeantel, the troubled young woman who was speaking on the phone to Trayvon Martin just before he was killed, testified in George Zimmerman’s second-degree murder trial that Martin called Zimmerman a “creepy a– cracka” before their violent confrontation."  Based upon the facts in the case, this is a situation that was the result of a confrontation that tragically resulted in Martin's death. It could have very easily been the other way around had Martin been the one to pull the trigger. I wonder how the media would have spun this had Martin lived and Zimmerman died. We will never know.

CORY MONTEITH DEATH

As it had been speculated by many, it was revealed yesterday that Cory Monteith died from a lethal mixture of heroin and alcohol. Forget the celebrity aspect to this story, another life has been taken in this manner. It was well-known Monteith struggled with addiction but few knew he also struggled with the instant fame that came from Glee becoming an overnight success. To my point in an earlier post, if these celebrities can't handle the fame, then why aspire to be famous? Fame and success can be lethal in and of itself if a celebrity already has difficulty handling the pressures and/or arrives in Hollywood battling addictions. Fame will not cure them or help them to recover. If anything it only adds insult to injury. We've seen all to often the numerous stints in rehab of celebrities with addiction issues. The list is as long, if not longer, than those we've lost who caved to their addictions one final time. It's tragic and it needs to stop. But how? The cast and crew of Glee tried to help Monteith with his struggles; even putting his welfare above that of the show. He acknowledged he had a problem and welcomed their help. But it was too little, too late. Perhaps the key was never putting him in front of the cameras to begin with if he had known addictions. How many more celebrities have to die in this manner before it gets Hollywood's attention? The real question should be, what is Hollywood going to do about it from here?

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