The ridicule and wild speculation which occurs when a famous (or even non-famous) person has some kind of meltdown is too often offered up by the media, which scurrys up to some grim event and gnaws and tears away at it in hopes of bringing away some morsel of scandal, which is falsely labeled news. Many websites too relentlessly tear away at the flesh like carrion creatures, all in the name of entertainment.
Very much in opposition to that is the following monolouge from CBS talk show host Craig Ferguson this week about the odd events in the life of a young singer and mother, Brittany Spears. Rather than join in the endless ridicule, he offered a deeply personal and well articulated account of how troubles can land on everyone, how despair and the challenge to rise above it get sidelined by many who are in search of the snarky insult.
Even a casual viewer of television has been inundated with cruel sneers and one-line headline jokes - both for Spears and Anna Nicole Smith. - from the news media in an endless feeding frenzy.
Not so with Craig Ferguson.
I've always thought Ferguson's work is head and shoulders above the average talk show mindlessness. (And, yes, I too did a post about Spears' public oddity, but plainly stated that the event was a clear indicator that her friends and family truly need to bring compassion and assistance to a life in turmoil).
His comments on the topic - often at times very funny - points out the ramifications of self-destruction. He has taken time to critically review the impact of his words on others and found the need to do better than fire away cheap shots.
Full video is here.
I watched it this evening.
ReplyDeleteI thought it was quite thoughtful and real and was great television as well as seeing the honesty of someone using their celebrity to make a point.
Agreed, wholeheartedly.
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