Madonna, McCartneys, Mayhem
As we all know, power in any form corrupts and that indubitably includes the flashy stars of the entertainment world. And this week the flashers have outshone even themselves.
Madonna
Let’s start off with, or shall I say return to, the case of one Madonna “I truly believe women are a commodity” Richie. As the Saccharinist stated this week, she stole a child from Malawi – having gotten special treatment because the mere fact of her visit to the country made about 200 million Americans aware of its existence.
Human rights and child’s rights groups throughout the world made legitimate complaints. She retorted with a fabricated announcement that she had not received special treatment.
Her child was then delivered alone on an airjet and the next night she was photographed going out on the town for a fancy dinner while her newly arrived bundle of joy was at home in the hands of a nanny – if that’s not motherly love, then I just don’t know what is.
Subsequently, the child’s father (whom she must have eventually decided to pay not because he is a poor man who can barely provide sustenance to himself but because paying him off might have placed the guy in her camp) came out with a statement that he supports Madonna.
Shortly afterwards, the father came out with a statement saying he was told and under the impression that the child will only be away from him temporarily in order to be fed, cared for, educated and then returned to him (yeah right, like some little poor kid from Africa is gonna wanna go back to a daddy he never knew after a few years of luxury in Madonna’s camp) – and that he now wants his kid back.
The moral of the story: the richer you are, the more you can get away with till it’s convenient for the canons of power to bring you down.
Oprah Winfrey
Like all pathetic Hollywood sob stories (see Jennifer Aniston’s recent woes for all the latest), and especially those that have anything at all to do with the sensitivities of race, Madonna’s story ends in a visit to the Oprah Winfrey show. What? What’s that you say? Oprah Winfrey is not gay? (She recently claimed she isn’t, but doesn’t that seem a bit too pre-emptively defensive about a non-issue?). Yes, Madonna went on Oprah today spewing the banality of a hollow soul: let’s put aside my horrible troubles with the media and instead focus on the millions of people who will now turn away from adoption because of the torment they’ve seen me undergo. OH! So it’s not about you, is it Madonna? It’s about the children. Except, in her condescending and prejudiced natural way, she blurted out her clear opinion of the scenario in one simple phrase: “those children” in reference to the innocents she feels she has the right to adopt at her will – “those” as in, “those poor pathetic helpless people who I have the power to possess at the drop of a hat” or “those as in those OTHERS who are not me.” Yes, we’ve seen this terminology used many many times before: it was called slavery and Americans are well familiar with it.
We are sadly familiar with Oprah Winfrey’s own severe shortcomings in race relations: everything about her, from the audience at her show, to the ridiculous magazine her underlings cater almost exclusively to White middle class soccer moms, to her own demons, yells that she still isn’t comfortable in her Black skin. Oprah Winfrey, as we all know, sure wishes she were White.
Paul McCartney and Heather Mills
Next up is the no less entertaining debacle that has become the McCartney divorce proceeding. As we know, this divorce was mostly precipitated (and inevitable) due to two obvious things: Paul’s daughter Stella’s intense rage and jealousy toward Heather Mills, and, of course, the fact that Paul McCartney is a douchebag. Now then, where were we? Oh yes, Heather, bless her, is a clever lady and amidst the public revelations, infighting, and drama, she is going to achieve the one thing no one else has yet done (though it seems very likely John Lennon would’ve gotten around to it if he hadn’t been murdered so young): show the world the real Paul McCartney: an egotistical, moneyloving, saggyfaced druggie who still can’t get over himself after all these decades of fame and fortune. Not bad, can’t wait for what’s next – though, according to Heather we can presume that it involves audio and possibly video recordings of Paul Mcartney: domestic violence extraordinaire.
Borat
Finally, we arrive at the case of one Sascha Baron Cohen – more often known as Ali G or his latest scourge: Borat. This British comedian has made a career of mocking Muslims the world over – that’s right, his two most famous characters are racist, prejudiced depictions of Muslims: one from England, the other from Kazakhstan. It is a remarkable commentary on the state of the world and especially the Western media today that such blatant bigotry is tolerated and condoned. Cohen is in the news this week because of the release of his latest film about Borat: a film predicated on the notion that Muslim men are sexist, ignorant, and unintelligent – though all of this is masked through the use of humor. Cohen is a bigot and his form of entertainment is unacceptable for that very substantial reason. Yes, some people and religions are still easily mocked and disrespected in Western media and a whole lot of people are still making money off of doing it.
Cohen is a Jew mocking Muslims and profiting from it -- and no one with power is speaking up at all. Just imagine the reverse: A Muslim mocking Jews, and you can see the gigantic hypocrisy at play here. Amazing isn't it?
Madonna
Let’s start off with, or shall I say return to, the case of one Madonna “I truly believe women are a commodity” Richie. As the Saccharinist stated this week, she stole a child from Malawi – having gotten special treatment because the mere fact of her visit to the country made about 200 million Americans aware of its existence.
Human rights and child’s rights groups throughout the world made legitimate complaints. She retorted with a fabricated announcement that she had not received special treatment.
Her child was then delivered alone on an airjet and the next night she was photographed going out on the town for a fancy dinner while her newly arrived bundle of joy was at home in the hands of a nanny – if that’s not motherly love, then I just don’t know what is.
Subsequently, the child’s father (whom she must have eventually decided to pay not because he is a poor man who can barely provide sustenance to himself but because paying him off might have placed the guy in her camp) came out with a statement that he supports Madonna.
Shortly afterwards, the father came out with a statement saying he was told and under the impression that the child will only be away from him temporarily in order to be fed, cared for, educated and then returned to him (yeah right, like some little poor kid from Africa is gonna wanna go back to a daddy he never knew after a few years of luxury in Madonna’s camp) – and that he now wants his kid back.
The moral of the story: the richer you are, the more you can get away with till it’s convenient for the canons of power to bring you down.
Oprah Winfrey
Like all pathetic Hollywood sob stories (see Jennifer Aniston’s recent woes for all the latest), and especially those that have anything at all to do with the sensitivities of race, Madonna’s story ends in a visit to the Oprah Winfrey show. What? What’s that you say? Oprah Winfrey is not gay? (She recently claimed she isn’t, but doesn’t that seem a bit too pre-emptively defensive about a non-issue?). Yes, Madonna went on Oprah today spewing the banality of a hollow soul: let’s put aside my horrible troubles with the media and instead focus on the millions of people who will now turn away from adoption because of the torment they’ve seen me undergo. OH! So it’s not about you, is it Madonna? It’s about the children. Except, in her condescending and prejudiced natural way, she blurted out her clear opinion of the scenario in one simple phrase: “those children” in reference to the innocents she feels she has the right to adopt at her will – “those” as in, “those poor pathetic helpless people who I have the power to possess at the drop of a hat” or “those as in those OTHERS who are not me.” Yes, we’ve seen this terminology used many many times before: it was called slavery and Americans are well familiar with it.
We are sadly familiar with Oprah Winfrey’s own severe shortcomings in race relations: everything about her, from the audience at her show, to the ridiculous magazine her underlings cater almost exclusively to White middle class soccer moms, to her own demons, yells that she still isn’t comfortable in her Black skin. Oprah Winfrey, as we all know, sure wishes she were White.
Paul McCartney and Heather Mills
Next up is the no less entertaining debacle that has become the McCartney divorce proceeding. As we know, this divorce was mostly precipitated (and inevitable) due to two obvious things: Paul’s daughter Stella’s intense rage and jealousy toward Heather Mills, and, of course, the fact that Paul McCartney is a douchebag. Now then, where were we? Oh yes, Heather, bless her, is a clever lady and amidst the public revelations, infighting, and drama, she is going to achieve the one thing no one else has yet done (though it seems very likely John Lennon would’ve gotten around to it if he hadn’t been murdered so young): show the world the real Paul McCartney: an egotistical, moneyloving, saggyfaced druggie who still can’t get over himself after all these decades of fame and fortune. Not bad, can’t wait for what’s next – though, according to Heather we can presume that it involves audio and possibly video recordings of Paul Mcartney: domestic violence extraordinaire.
Borat
Finally, we arrive at the case of one Sascha Baron Cohen – more often known as Ali G or his latest scourge: Borat. This British comedian has made a career of mocking Muslims the world over – that’s right, his two most famous characters are racist, prejudiced depictions of Muslims: one from England, the other from Kazakhstan. It is a remarkable commentary on the state of the world and especially the Western media today that such blatant bigotry is tolerated and condoned. Cohen is in the news this week because of the release of his latest film about Borat: a film predicated on the notion that Muslim men are sexist, ignorant, and unintelligent – though all of this is masked through the use of humor. Cohen is a bigot and his form of entertainment is unacceptable for that very substantial reason. Yes, some people and religions are still easily mocked and disrespected in Western media and a whole lot of people are still making money off of doing it.
Cohen is a Jew mocking Muslims and profiting from it -- and no one with power is speaking up at all. Just imagine the reverse: A Muslim mocking Jews, and you can see the gigantic hypocrisy at play here. Amazing isn't it?
Labels: Arts and Ents, Black Americans, Humane Rights, the Me-dia
posted by the saccharinist at 4:42 PM
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