Health care reform, Michael Jackson and Lady GaGa's penis. What do all of these things have in common? Together they comprise 99.9% of the news cycle, and I never want to hear about any of them ever again. Under any circumstances. Period.
Take health care reform: Turn on Fox News, CNN or MSNBC and you will hear the same narrative played out, just with a different bias. The Democrats want health care reform, Republicans do not, and everyone has an opinion. Glenn Beck and Bill O'Reilly incite Midwestern farmers to carry pitchforks (and apparently automatic weapons, too) to health care town halls, while Rachel Maddow and Keith Olbermann urge the far left to accuse all who oppose reform efforts of being Nazis and hating babies.
We get it - everyone has an opinion and no one, except for a few confused Blue Dog Democrats, is willing to compromise. So stop whining and talk about something else. Report when something actually changes or the debate shifts.
And don't even get me started with Michael Jackson. While it certainly is entertaining to hear about how the city of Los Angeles was considering asking patrons to pay for attending Michael Jackson's funeral, does it really have any tangible impact on our lives? The very fact that the city government would foot the bill for a multimillion-dollar memorial service and shut down Los Angeles' biggest highway in the middle of the day for one car to drive through is mind-boggling to me.
Sure, the man's music was catchy and he was undoubtedly talented, but the major and local news networks should not be covering his death like it is breaking news a full two months later. The man wasn't a peacemaker or an influential public figure, he was a confused singer. That's it.
Truth be told, I can almost understand the addictive coverage of health care reform and Michael Jackson. Almost. But a bulge in Lady GaGa's dress? Really? There can be absolutely no justification for this being on a news network for any amount of time. End of story. Penis or not, who cares? Or should care?
What this all boils down to is America's obsession with gossip and conflict. The health care coverage, while important, is repetitive and uninformative.
America is only fixated on it because we enjoy watching the warring factions battle it out and make ludicrous claims. When it comes to MJ and Lady GaGa however, they are irrelevant. America is infatuated with its celebrities, and it is flat-out disgusting. When people across the world are dying of starvation, warfare and disease, all America can do is debate the femininity of Lady GaGa. Shame on us.
Kyle Robisch is a political science and economics junior.
