Boxing Day (Day 6) - food for thought

Results upward blip (1 lb) but I have been on my bike and shall take a long walk today.

Now, for some food for thought. I was checking out my statistics and if I am reading them correctly (a bit dubious) my biggest hits came on the night I wrote about the finals on Dancing With the Stars. So my question is, was the mention of Jennifer Grey the attraction, or was it Bristol Palin’s name, or was it DWTS that brought me the hits? Or, could it have been the exciting intro “tension mounts”? I purposely have dropped these names to see if celebrity is what brings attention, though I know I have faithful friends who read my tiny little mind every day!

I am realistic enough to know the answer. The world has an almost mystifying fascination with celebrity. The rag mags (and some not, supposedly, rag mags) write about what the stars eat for breakfast. Who cares? I would rather not know, especially all the negative behaviors. I don’t care if Gayle King slept with a flight attendant. Please, leave her some dignity. Is Oprah on prescription drugs? Who cares? And shall we talk about Lindsey Lohan? I’d rather not.

The curious thing is that the worst behaviors get the most attention. I can assure you that I don’t buy the magazines but when you stand at the cash register and wait (forever) in line, naturally you look at the covers. That’s how I know about the above stuff. But I would much rather not. I would much rather see a headline about who won the Nobel Peace prize, but you never see that as a screaming headline. That is a secondary or even third rated story on the fifth page of a main newspaper. Did it even get awarded this year? Lio Xiaobo for his long non-violent struggle for human rights in China. Like that name just tripped off my tongue (or yours). This man has championed for a billion people but we don’t know his name. Why is that? Don’t say because we are ignorant. We know Paris Hilton’s name because it is in the blooming paper every day, every paper, and what on earth has she done for the planet? Snorted cocaine? Really, journalists, get a grip on the real stories. I don’t care about these so-called celebrities. I want real news, real up beat caring stories and I want to hear about them more than once. Let them be uplifting and readable and let’s know the names of the real heros.

Now I will get off the soap box and brave the madness of Boxing Day Sales.