Who's To Blame?

Nancy Grace says Amanda Knox is guilty of murdering her roommate in Italy. Why should we believe her? Why do we even listen?

Grace made her public name during the OJ Simpson trial while she reported on those court skirmishes. The drama and venue was a match for Grace. She knew how to pull the emotional strings to create a public following. After the OJ verdict, Grace was undeterred and continued her witch hunt against OJ. Regardless of court findings, she pursued the cause in the civil trial where others were bent on destroying OJ regardless of guilt. Someone was to blame and she was on the hunt! So were many others.

Problem is who cares? And why should we care?

Who killed Michael Jackson? Was it his family, the culture, himself or his doctor? Of course the media pundits know who done it! It was the doctor who was reportedly paid $120,000 per month to be the sole, personal physician to The Michael. It had to be him, right? All the facts point to him and someone must be brought to justice, right? This is America and someone must be to blame. Right?

Once again who cares? Why should we care?

Who benefitted from Michael’s death? The family. Not the doctor. He suffered from Michael Jackson’s death. The gravy train ended with the patient’s death. But more importantly, who created the scenario that led to his famous death?  Michael himself, of course. He needed sleep and rest. He wanted a buffer from the travails of his stressful life. He asked the doctor for that surfeit. It was drugs, whether legal or not. He paid for them and paid for them to be administered to him. Michael was his own angel of death, whether intended or not.  But again, who cares? As sorry as his fans are that Michael no longer can produce the art that made him famous and delighted millions of fans, it really doesn’t matter how and why he died. It was destined to end badly no matter the cause.

Why does the American culture, or rather its public, place itself in this discussion? Why do Americans believe they have the right to final judgment? Why must someone always be at fault? I don’t know. But I do know that this behavior is a character fault that needs to be transcended.

Nancy Grace is not the judge and jury on the fault of the Amanda Knox case. Neither is the public the judge and jury on the cause of Michael Jackson,s death.

All of this is the stuff of news reports. Really TV ratings is the game being played at the expense of the public. Because that rot is placed before us, other things that really matter and should have our attention is lost in the chaos of media wars.

We can do something about it. Ignore it.  Turn off the television; turn the newspaper’s page to something of more value. Pick up a book that makes us think. Turn our shoulder in snub to the politician who isn’t worth our time or attention because all she or he is doing is pandering for votes.  Instead, pay attention to the thoughtful people and their ideas. Those are the elements we can use in our life to make it worthwhile and eventful.

Steve Jobs didn’t waste his time on such matters. Neither do Bill and Melissa Gates, or Barack and Michelle Obama, or Warren Buffet, and a host of other doers who address more important problems and get something done about them.

What makes the public what it is? Its venality and small mindedness is needed for distraction and peddlers. Shame on us if we fall for it.