Monday, March 07, 2011

Charlie (Sheen) Bit Me

I don't have the video kung-fu prowess to digitally insert Charlie Sheen into the infamous Charlie Bit Me youtube meme, but somebody out there should.

Internet, make it happen.


I don't get most folks' fascination with celebrities. The most I usually care to know about them are what movie/album/TV show they'll be working on next. Or when someone leaves the band. I have no interest in what drugs they do, who they're dating, or really anything about their personal life. But it seems like I'm in an extreme minority with this opinion.

I have no direct problems with folks who don't agree with me. You can follow all the drama of what Kanye West said, or who Tiger Woods slept with, or who might be dating Angelina Jolie all you want. Follow them on twitter, monitor whatever celebrity gossip site you want.

But that's where these stories should be confined to. Celebrity gossip websites. Opinion pages. Entertainment sections. None of this is news. Absolutely none of it.

News is supposed to be something important & informative. Hard data about important wide-reaching issues that have impact on a large amount of people (or perhaps a disproportionate impact on a minority of people). News is supposed to be thoroughly vetted and verified so folks can trust hard facts that they wouldn't necessarily find out during the normal course of their lives. Most of all, it should provide a curated cross-section of relevant stories from all the different sections of news that have an impact in a person's nearby community, or their view of the world.

News is important. Celebrity gossip is not.

Thank you.

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