Saw the following in my Inbox this morning …
Subject: LOL
I like this Erica Hill:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x45zkZCGY5Qhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_EtGTpNrjK8
Don't know much about her, though.
… decided to Reply All, as it were. [Update: and changed the YouTube link -- looks like the original got pulled.]
__________
LOL is right. Wow. For the first time I can remember, I actually had a moment of longing to see an episode of Larry King Live.
What a piece of work that Carrie Prejean is. I felt quite a bit of sympathy for her in the way back when -- a ditz in over her head, someone too sheltered to realize that it was probably not the best idea to spout to a national audience lessons from her fundie upbringing, who then got snapped up by the wingnuts as the latest symbolic hero in their never-ending grievance wars. I figured back then she was just smart enough to realize that she'd stumbled into a chance of capitalizing on her proverbial fifteen minutes.
But then, as a little more time went on, and she kept doubling down on her victimhood, I started thinking less charitably. Yeah, she's young, dumb, and has lived a life where she never heard anything except how great she was, but at some point, everyone has to come to the realization that an attitude of "it's all about me and how MY feelings get hurt" won't cut it. The emails between her and the pageant people were revealing, and if any one thing tipped me over, that was probably it.
I watched a few minutes of her attempt on Hannity to spin the SEX TAPE!!! revelation (I blame TBogg) and I couldn't bear it. She sounded like she had sat down with him an hour before the show, gotten half a dozen talking points from him, and when the camera came on, just blurted them all out as though worried she'd forget one. The nine repetitions of the "worst mistake of my life" bit was understandable from the perspective of someone who knows the only place she has left to hold a mike is the wingnut talk circuit, but the "people have to remember how young I still am" just clanked. There's only so much insincerity I can take, even when I'm cynically approving someone conning the Christianists for cash.
And now, that bit from Larry King -- I mean, seriously. I don't care how stupid you are, trying to claim you were assured you wouldn't have to take phone calls when going on This Day in Trainwrecks is about as plausible as that Republican clown out in Colorado claiming he didn't mean to suggest Flight 93. And then to just sit there with that persecuted look on her face -- classic. Spoiled brat morphs into Christ On The Cross. A week's worth of wanking material for the rubes.
Palin/Prejean 2012!
==========
P.S. Oh, yeah. Erica Hill. First I've ever heard of her, but boy, she sure came off well, especially by contrast, huh? Must be getting old -- I'm finding maturity in women a turn-on.
;^)
5 comments:
I'm across the pond, so I haven't followed this story very closely. My gut impression is that Prejean genuinely wants the publicity but does not want to discuss spanking the monkey. It's all a bit much. While she may think that she's doing damage control by her TV appearances, she's actually making sure that many people will recall her making a fool out of herself in addition to her making silly remarks about marriage as well as making a masturbation tape to turn on her boyfriend.
Looks like they removed your video, Brendan.
Here's a fresh copy. ;-)
I just had to watch it again; agree completely with your take on Ms. Hill. There's just something enormously appealing about that wry sarcasm at the end.
Thanks for the heads-up and the link, Twin. However, by the time I saw your comment, they'd pulled the new one, too. I found a third and updated the post with that. (Probably be gone by the time that you read this. Oh, well.)
What is wrong with those CNN people? This is like free advertising -- I'd never heard of Erica Hill before this, and now I'd be inclined to go watch her. (Not an original rant, I know.)
==========
Ruth: I think your analysis suffers one fatal flaw -- you're clearly coming at this from the perspective of an inhabitant of the reality-based community.
But seriously ...
Yes, I think you're right that she's making herself look silly by trying to do "damage control" on something this trivial. (I use quotes because I'm trying to imagine how small the fraction is becoming of today's teens who haven't sexted. Probably about the same size as the fraction of teens who don't have camera phones.) The thing is, though, once Prejean first doubled down on what she originally gained attention for, she locked herself in to speaking only to the sort of people who are made very uncomfortable by the notion of same-sex marriage. Odds are among this bunch, the notion of masturbation is just barely not still a mortal sin, and the thought of VIDEOTAPING IT??? is all too much. So, it's worth it to her to do an "apology" tour of the TV shows, because that's what her paying customers care most about -- that she's publicly acknowledging her sins and "asking forgiveness," as it were. (See also Mark Sanford.)
The bonus is: when she makes herself look like a fool, that same crowd will tend to see it as "The liberal media picked on poor Carrie!!!1! (And oh by the way? I heard Anderson Cooper is GAY, so that explains THAT!!!1!) ..." You get the picture.
Hard as it may be to believe, a quarter of this country still thinks Sarah Palin was unfairly treated by Katie Couric, and it is fully accepted wisdom among those people that asking questions like "What newspapers do you read?" is "GOTCHA JOURNALISM!!!1!" I am not making this up.
I could go about the wingnut contingent all morning, but probably I'll regret having done so, given that I've yet to have my coffee, so I'll leave it there for now. Point is, basically the wingnuts like nothing so much as their victimhood and nursing their perpetual grievances with the rest of us.
Thanks for checking in.
Dear Brendan,
Thank you very much for your thoughtful reply. You make some very good points. I guess I somehow forgot about the appeal of playing the long-term victim. I am aware of the mean-spiritedness that the wingnuts display toward the dispossessed, gays, minorities, proponents of reproductive freedom, and so forth. And since I am having my first cup of coffee this morning, I won't get started on the misinformation and lies!
Please know how much I appreciate your blog. It's great.
Thanks, Ruth!
And to your previous sentences: yes, contemplating that brand of mean-spiritedness is no way to start the day.
Post a Comment