Wake UP!: Celebrating Senator Kennedy’s Legacy In Moderation

Senator Edward Kennedy died, as you have no doubt noticed.  It’s been on every news channel; hours upon hours have been devoted to his triumphs and tribulations (and those of his equally famous brothers), and his legacy as a liberal lion.  Call me callous, but all I can think of as I flip through glowing coverage of the late Senior Senator of the great state of Massachusetts is how tired I am to see unending coverage of celebrity death.Don’t get me wrong, I’m a big fan.  I actually didn’t realize HOW big of a fan I was until he died, since I’ve been bombarded with stories about his legislative legacy.  He lobbied for the Equal Rights Amendment; he fought for Civil Rights, Disability Rights, and Women’s Rights.  He brought us SCHIP, he gave us better consumer protections, and he even reached across the aisle on a regular basis (although his biggest bipartisan achievement, No Child Left Behind, is a dismal failure, in my honest opinion).  In addition, he was instrumental in helping negotiate the Good Friday Peace Accords, negotiating with terrorists and legitimate governments alike to bring a tenuous end to fighting.

Certainly, his death should be the head story every hour on our 24 hour news networks.  But 24 hours of nothing but Teddy coverage?  Please!  I don’t think there’s anyone on this earth who merits endless coverage for days on end.  Surely it’s not such a slow news day that NO news network can spare a few hours of Teddy’s dead coverage to update us on what’s happening in the world TODAY…since that’s their job.

More than anything, the thing that concerns me most with the continuation of overdone coverage of celebrity death is how irrelevant it is to the average person.  In life, Senator Kennedy had a great impact on ALL of our lives, not only locally but globally.  But there are plenty other deal makers in the Senate who will take his place when he’s gone.  Regardless, because of his impact on the average citizen, it’s a little more understandable to have a lot of coverage of his passing.

Michael Jackson?  Not so much.  I know I’m going to make some enemies here, but the coverage of his death was ridiculous!  In particular, the fact that his city funded memorial was carried in its entirety on EVERY NEWS CHANNEL…ugh.  Is his death news?  Certainly.  Is the recent finding that his death was a homicide news?  Absolutely.  But all the crap in between drives me batty.  Instead of reporting on tensions in Iran, developments in Iraq, or issues about the economy, my news was inundated with endless speculation about how he died, who he REALLY was, whether or not he molested kids, what was going to happen to HIS kids, etc.  That’s perfectly acceptable for Entertainment News Shows, but real news shows?  NO.

I hate to see real news pre-empted because some troubled celebrity kicks the bucket.  It’s even worse when talentless celebrities die…especially when it’s people whose death surprised NO ONE (ahem… Anna Nichole Smith, anyone?)  The first time I remember seeing round the clock coverage of a celebrity death was with Princess Diana, and it pissed me off then.  The problem has only gotten worse.  And while we waste all our time on pseudo news about water-headed celebrities who often contributed to their own demise, real news is happening.  People are making decisions which directly affect my life and yours.  Our men and women in uniform are dying (and THEY’RE the ones who deserve around the clock coverage!).  People’s rights are being violated.  And we’re stuck watching the 24 hour coverage of the funeral of someone who most of us have never met.

Senator Kennedy was a great man, but let’s celebrate his legacy in moderation, along with every other celebrity, be they important or infamous, talented or talentless.  And for goodness sake, please leave the entertainment crap out of my news!