Because it's not anything remotely close to news. There are a lot of transgendered people out there, quietly living their lives. You may know a few, even if you didn't know their history.
Maybe in the third quarter of the last century and into the fourth quarter, it would have been a serious story. Christine Jorgensen, of course. Renee Richards. Wendy Carlos. Karen Ulane was fired from EAL for being transgendered; now there are transgendered pilots working for most American carriers.
But now? It's not news. It's not about publicly transitioning and hopefully serving as some sort of example for others. I don't buy that, not for a picosecond. Jenner is a C-/D+ grade celebrity; the one rule about being a celebrity is that there is basically no such thing as bad press.* And for two hours of prime-time exposure on a broadcast network, the lower-rent and/or fading celebrities would gladly trade a kidney, half of their livers and their second-born children.
I'm not questioning the genuineness of Jenner's transgenderism. Since he is a celebrity, the story was already likely in the supermarket tabloids. By going public,he gets to manage the story, something celebrities all want to do.
But is this really serious news? No. It's not news in the same way that it wouldn't be news if Jenner flew a single-engined airplane from New York to Paris. It's been done and by a lot of people since Slim did it 88 years ago. That wouldn't be news, now, just high-grade celebrity gossip. Which is what the 20/20 story was: Not news, just gossip.
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* Though Lindsey Lohan is pushing that envelope, hard.
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4 comments:
As a Republican, he can handle both sides of the issue himself. Perhaps he can fire himself for being a pervert, while suing himself to be treated as an equal. Maybe his Fox News self-hate piece can air alongside his heartfelt plea appearance on The View.
I try to draw a distinction between real-world Republicans and the batshit-insane Christian Taliban (along with the politicians who pander to them).
I have Republican friends, but not the bugnuts kind.
Another low rent celebrity looking for a "reality" TV freak show. It's all about the ratings.
Well, yeah. It was top-rated show for the week. Almost 21 million people watched it. It was 20/20s best-ranked show in fifteen years.
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