If ever you needed evidence that the media was completely out of touch with America, this week was a perfect example.
Michael Jackson who was likely a pedophile, definitely a recluse, and clearly an unfit parent, is portrayed in the media as a talented hero who suffered at the hands of his fame.
Sarah Palin, on the other hand, who worked her way up from the PTA to being Governor of Alaska and whose appeal is her relatability to regular folks, is portrayed as a crazy lunatic fit only for scorn and punchlines.
It’s been essentially ignored by the media that Jackson likely abused children.
And Palin is reviled because she dared to love what some call an imperfect child. (If you don’t agree with that last statement, just ask yourself how the media would’ve looked on Palin if she’d proudly announced she’d aborted her Down’s Syndrome baby and was pro-choice.)
Michael Jackson paid out millions in hush money to families of children he was “close with” and that hardly merits a mention in the week long lionizing of MJ.
But Sarah Palin is guilty of charges that nobody has even made. ABC’s David Wright implied some nefarious motives behind Palin’s announcement without any evidence, according to Newsbusters:
“It is difficult to ignore the timing of this announcement, late on a Friday afternoon, on a holiday weekend. Many Americans bound to be tuned out. That suggests that the reasons are not good ones.”
And that wasn’t an isolated incident. MSNBC aired a similarly baseless accusation:
There has been speculation that she has some legal issue that is not yet known to the public.
To the media, Jackson’s ability to draw a crowd is a testament to his undeniable talent that excuses his rather obvious and serious character faults.
But Palin’s ability to draw a crowd is seen as an indictment of the “ultra right wing” and is evidence that she’s out of touch with moderates.
The media slavishly reported Al Sharpton’s comments that Michael Jackson was a victim of racism while continuing their own sexist allegations against Sarah Palin like when CNN’s Richard Sanchez posited that Palin might be stepping down because she was pregnant again. (As if being pregnant were a high misdemeanor worthy of removal from office)
Some good news, however. The Los Angeles Times seemed in awe of MJ’s memorial and declared it “somber, evangelical, thunderous and hushed.” This is notable only in the sense that it’s the first time (and probably the last) that the LA Times has used the term “evangelical” in a positive sense.
The same term “evangelical” has been used to paint Palin as a fundamentalist freakshow fringe member of a political party which has been relegated to permanent minority status.
So, in short, in today’s America a hardworking Mom in politics is a joke who is obviously guilty of something while an alleged pedophile is a hero because he could dance. America is entering an interesting time in that mainstream Americans will not continue to allow themselves to go unrepresented by their own elected officials and the media for too much longer. And for the first time I sense people waking up to the disconnect.
July 9, 2009 at 2:07 am
Palin allegedly trotted her children out as political props. Palin allegedly showed a complete lack of any real empathy. Please respond.
July 9, 2009 at 2:09 am
Oh my goodness! I just love that picture with Sarah and her little Trig! Hang that on the hall of fame!
I wrote to Rush the other day about Sarah Palin. Her biggest "crime" that fueled everyone in the public leftist sphere to tear her apart? Hillary Clinton. That's right! One week before we even knew about Sarah as VP candidate, Hillary clucked all over the stage at the DNC giving "power to the pant suit". Sarah's sin? She came on a week later and was more gracious, more articulate, more charming, and more intelligent in her acceptance speech than Hillary could even dream of being. That isn't the biggest blow though. She did this all WHILE IN A SKIRT!
You may or may not understand the woman's psyche, but believe me those of my sex who are not "secure in their femininity" (basically all the old bags on the left) find Sarah to be a serious threat that needs to be destroyed.
Thanks for the picture, I'll treasure it in my heart of what a beautiful woman Sarah was and will continue to be!
July 9, 2009 at 8:50 am
Because every proud parent locks their kids in the basement, never to see the light of day.
Not that there isn't a small element of truth to the "kids as props" criticism, but if it were as true as people would like it to be, then how come I only know about Trig because of the Left, Willow because of the Left, and Bristol because of the Left? And Bristol only because of Letterman. I know they have a son serving in Iraq… whose name I can't place. Wouldn't he be their best prop?
I know one thing. Regardless of her political future, by 2012 there'll at least be a "I defended/derided Sarah Palin on the internet!" bumper sticker, the rate we all fight about this.
July 9, 2009 at 2:28 pm
Don't forget Piper. No one's made a joke about poor Piper so everyone forgets her.
July 9, 2009 at 2:33 pm
I agree about your coverage of MJ. My question is this: Where were these throngs of loving, supporting people when he was alive?
Maybe if he had known their "affection" or had the support of his family and friends he wouldn't have been so recluse…
Granted, he needed some moral formation, however, family life can go a long way to helping a person come back to "normal".
July 9, 2009 at 2:41 pm
Thunderous AND hushed? Does anybody have copy editors anymore?
July 9, 2009 at 3:36 pm
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July 9, 2009 at 3:37 pm
Excellent post. This juxtaposition is quite symptomatic of just how far gone the MSM is, and just how much the American Idol generation relies on them, that MJ is exalted and Palin torn down. We're living revisionist history and ignoring reality. No wonder Obugger is president.
July 9, 2009 at 8:02 pm
MJ did give millions to charity, including the "Make a Wish" foundation which he created. He also spearheaded raising awareness for the African famine (remember "We are the World"?). Yes, he was a misguided and messed up individual (and IMO a pedophile). But he did do good for an enormous amount of people. To deny this is to be dishonest.
July 9, 2009 at 8:26 pm
Yes Anonymous,
Who cares that some little boys innocence was taken away, MJ saved Africa from starving! Us normal folks can't keep our priorities straight!
MJ might have been charitable but knowing human nature, he was only trying to ease his own spirit of the horrible wrongdoing he was doing to his victims.
I have been in really bad situations; mostly when my parents would beat and molest me but as I tell my children, you are always accountable for what you do in life. Everyday when we wake up I ask them who are they going to serve today? Themselves, the Devil or Jesus Christ.
Mrs. Damian Garcia
July 9, 2009 at 8:46 pm
Many of you, in discussing Michael Jackson, are as guilty of character assassination as the liberal media was in their treatment of Sarah Palin.
This man was acquitted of child molestation charges, but you have decided, nevertheless that he was a "child molester" and a "pervert", even though you have no knowledge of this.
You are no different than the mainstream media when it comes to following speculations, rumours and assumptions.
July 10, 2009 at 1:01 am
The man paid out millions in hush money yet the media chose to ignore it.
July 10, 2009 at 1:39 am
Sarah is young When the family is older and able to fend off unwelcome media intrusion I hope she has another try for the top job and in the meantime I hope she bones up on international politics and builds up a network of wise and solid advisors with no political debts that would prevent them being truly ethical.
July 10, 2009 at 1:43 am
Let MJ rest in peace and pray for the poor innocent children that fe was father to think of how confusing their lives have been and will no doubt continue to be with the weight of his wealth and fame/notoreity as well
As for Sarah P I agree the media has been nasty but she is a strong gutsy lady and I am looking forward to the day she wins the oval office having outwitted them all!
July 10, 2009 at 3:40 am
"The man paid out millions in hush money yet the media chose to ignore it."
It wasn't "hush money". After the out-of-court settlement, Jordan Chandler was free to testify against MJ in a separate criminal investigation; however, he chose not to.
Furthermore, settling a matter out of court is not an admission of guilt; to imply that it is, is calumnous.
July 10, 2009 at 5:58 pm
Katherine,
Jordan was, what, thirteen, right?
Would you want your thirteen year old to have to get on the stand and relive being molested? That's what has to happen in a criminal investigation. Without the victim's testimony, most of those types of cases won't find a verdict of guilty.
I'm not saying "guilty" or "not guilty", I'm just saying that's what would be required during a criminal testimony. So the "hush money" take-it-and-don't-pursue-case-further has some justifiable grounds.
Sorry someone you looked up to died. Just don't expect everyone else to have seen him the same way.
July 11, 2009 at 3:30 am
Michael Jackson was never convicted of anything. Period. Was he weird? Uh, yeah. Did he help millions with his charity work? Yeah. Was he a good father? Just ask his kids, apparently they adored him. There are a lot of people who observed him in his daily life that thought he was odd, but very gentle and sweet.
Yes, if my child were 13, I would want him to testify, if only to stop someone from hurting another child. Accepting money is a sign to me that that was their main objective. Noone has proven that MJ was a pedophile, so to call him one is slander, plain and simple.
Sarah Palin is a wonderful woman, and also very popular. I don't think that people questioning her decision to step down as governor is attacking her. It is a natural thing to question, since she loves the spotlight. I would vote for her, but I still wonder about her motives in this.
I honestly think that they both get a bad rap. The media is the one who spreads most of the garbage. Then they turn around and paint them as heroes the next day. I look at the facts, and the fact is that most think that MJ was weird, but he wasn't convicted of anything. He wasn't found guilty, despite the great lengths to which people went. To me, that speaks volumes. Money, not the children, was the motivation for those charges.
Just my opinion, of course.
July 11, 2009 at 5:55 am
Mouse,
I was not taking issue with the 13 year-old agreeing to an out-of court settlement.
My point is that in referring to the settlement as "hush-money", the implication is that the accuser's silence has been bought because the accused is guilty.
In this case, the settlement did not preclude Jordan Chandler from testifying in a criminal case, if he wished to. Therefore, the term "hush money" is misleading.
Furthermore, the accused (MJ) may have agreed to an out-of-court settlement for a number of legitimate reasons, none of them having to do with real liability or guilt. MJ maintained that the resolution of this case was in no way an admission of guilt, and he continued to proclaim his innocence.
I'm not advocating that everyone look up to Michael Jackson – certainly people are free to believe what they want about him; to like him or dislike him.
But anyone who's out there publicly calling him a child molester is engaging in slander because no one knows for certain what happened other than Michael and those who claim to be his victims.
July 11, 2009 at 9:43 am
who's been ignoring the fact that MJ was accused of child molestation? its everywhere. The accuser Jordan Chandler even came out and told the truth that Michael never touched him. And one more thing.
WHAT IN THE HECK DOES MICHAEL JACKSON'S DEATH HAVE TO DO WITH SARAH PALIN???????
July 11, 2009 at 3:58 pm
"WHAT IN THE HECK DOES MICHAEL JACKSON'S DEATH HAVE TO DO WITH SARAH PALIN???????"
Let me tell you: The Dignity of Each Person, especially children.
Trig is a living witness that All Life is Precious & the Palins agree with that statement. The MSM (& Justice Ginsburg) does not.
Jackson, on the other hand, was screwed up enough for the allegations mentioned on this thread to go to court. That type of behavior by ANYONE denies the dignity of a child because it uses the child as an object for self-gratification of the adult. Katherine, if you & other Jackson admirers can't agree that behavior by an adult toward children is screwed up then we have no common language.