Darkness Falls on Paradise Island (Libs Unhinged; Missing Swedish Girl Not "Black, Asian or Poor")

observer.guardian.co.uk ^ | 7/03/2005 | Paul Harris

[NHResident]

"Are you some kind of racist?" - has been working for a/on particular 'type'of male/female for more than 40 years. I don't expect ANYTHING said here or published anywhere will change that.

[muawiyah]

Guarantee his own mother wouldn't do any follow-up at all. Just write him off to his own evil vices.

[Capt. Tom]

Yet it is always cases such as Holloway's that win the headlines. She joins a list of American obsessions like Laci Peterson, Elizabeth Smart, Chandra Levy and Lori Hacking. All obsessed the media in recent years. All are pretty, middle-class and white.

Hey they obsesed over me too.

[conservatism_IS_compassion]

Natalee's death would not have rocked America so much if she had been black. Or Asian. Or poor. Or a boy.

An unexceptionable statement of fact.

Journalism is negative and superficial - and the disappearance of a pretty girl is a perfect excuse for hype. When Jessica Lynch was recovered, that story dominated the news even though that news hit at the same time as news that Coalition forces had smashed Saddam's defenses at the potential choke point of the Coalition advance.

Which is historically significant, "Coalition breaks through to the suburbs of Baghdad" or "Jessica Lynch Rescued - see photo"? Historically, it's the former, journalistically it's the latter.

[Mortikhi]

Personally Im sick and tired of hearing about this case. Every time it comes on the news I switch the channel.

Id rather they get back to me when there's actually something to report, like 'body found' or 'confession made'.

[Mike Darancette]

'To be blunt, blonde white chicks who go missing get covered, and poor, black, Hispanic or other people of colour who go missing do not get covered,'

I've noticed that the great majority of woman teachers who molest their pupils and are covered by the news are cute white women. Why are poor, black, Hispanic or other people of color not covered too?

[monkey]

The tiny island, whose 100,000 population is crammed into a space smaller than Manhattan

Yep. Manhattan is big sky country.

[johnb838]

Good point -- could it be that we focus on white, blonde, blue-eyed girls because they're such a target? It's not always easy being attractive. You don't always attract good people, and lots of people are envious.

I watched an attractive woman get destroyed when she was trying to get a job with a company I was working for while her less attractive friend got hired no problem. It was the women that did it. I tried to stick up for her but all I got was "you just like her chest." If *I* had said that I would have been fired and blackballed.

She was super bright, super personality, successful at everything she did too.

[stopem]

Exactly, I agree. Plus I am tired of the media making celebrities of the parents, victims and suspects.

Its more than a media circus it is a soap opera.

One has to wonder if these people like the Twittys get a PR person or is it all just the media by themselves who are pushing this story down our throats day after day after day.
Dave Holloway is to be admired, Beth Twitty mother has never once cried like Laci's mother who was distraught, and Bug or Jug or whatever that character's name is, well he just needs to keep away from the cameras.

Yes I do shut off the TV till the media decides to move to the next soap opera of the day. Or till I decide to watch Bold&Beautiful or Young&Restless soap operas.

[reformed_dem]

She joins a list of American obsessions like Laci Peterson, Elizabeth Smart, Chandra Levy and Lori Hacking.....blonde white chicks who go missing get covered...

Uh, of those listed, the only blonde was Elizabeth Smart.

[GladesGuru]

"Uh, of those listed, the only blonde was Elizabeth Smart."

Details, mere details. Besides, "only her hair dresser knows for sure". ;-)

[staytrue]

You distorted the article in your post 30.

The accurate quote is

"Laci Peterson, Elizabeth Smart, Chandra Levy and Lori Hacking. All obsessed the media in recent years. All are pretty, middle-class and white. 'To be blunt, blonde white chicks who go missing get covered, and poor, black, Hispanic or other people of colour who go missing do not get covered,' said Tom Rosenstiel, director of the Project for Excellence in Journalism. "

The article says LP, ES, etc. are pretty middle class and white which is true. It says nothing about them being blond.

Then they quote Rosenstiel who says blonde white chicks get covered, and people of color do not. Rosenstiel makes no mention of Smart, Laci, etc.

What you did was distortion of the type that the liberal media often does.

[GladesGuru]

Dear Staytrue,

Post 30 ? ?. As I count it, it was post 31. As for implying that I use Liberal media distortion mechanisms, may I gently point out that the line "only her hair dresser knows for sure" comes from a hair color advertisement.

It was a bit of light irony, or so I thought when I wrote it. But if I am now a tool of Liberals in the media, would you kindly show me to my paycheck from said Liberal media?

After all, if I am to have the name, shouldn't I have the check, - uh, game, - or whatever? ;-)

[ChildOfThe60s]

I've noticed that the great majority of woman teachers who molest their pupils and are covered by the news are cute white women. Why are poor, black, Hispanic or other people of color not covered too?

Not to sound sarcastic, but I would imagine teenage boys are more reluctant to brag, or own up to, having sexual relations with non-hotties. (keep reading please)

So, I would assume that up to now it's just worked out that the only hotties caught have been white. But since white blonds have no monopoly on good looks, be patient. It'll happen.

[skr]

It's true that we don't hear much about missing non-white children and teens, but how is that the fault of the public when these other disappearances aren't reported by the media?

[staytrue]

my post 32 was directed at post 30

I only pinged you because you agreed with post 30 in post 31.

You did not distort anything, but were misinformed by post 30.

[staytrue]

but how is that the fault of the public

Often the media in search of ratings caters to the public wishes and the public's interest wanes when the victim is non white and not a good person. If the victim was the blond tonya harding, the public might be cheering for the killers. But white, young, full scholarship to alabama gets you a lot of media.

[Skywalk]

"could it be that we focus on white, blonde, blue-eyed girls because they're such a target? It's not always easy being attractive. You don't always attract good people, and lots of people are envious."

---

Well, you took that a bit too far. I agree on it not always being easy being attractive, but one need not be white, blue-eyed or blonde to be attractive.

[skr]

But how often does the national media even mention the disappearance of a non-white who isn't likely to be a runaway? I don't recall any reports that weren't about children.

[GladesGuru]

Actually, I did understand who was blonde, but couldn't resist tossing in a bit of irony with the Clairol ad bit.

I have two friends from college who are blonde. They have a daughter who is likewise blonde. All three collect blonde jokes (and are inveterate punsters, to make things worse) so I have a collection of blonde humor available.

You should try my InferiorPersons jokes (National Park Service) or the Fishy, WildPersons (US Fish & Wildlife).

But nobody would date one of those things, even with the level of drinking that Aruba supports.