The announcer’s voice oozed with fake sincerity. He tried his best to get emotional over the death of Anna Nicole Smith. Her death at 39 was “tragic”, he declared. Then, effortlessly shifting gears, he salivated and drooled over the fact his channel was the one to get the very last interview with the deceased. Should we have been surprised at the attention shown to her death? Not in a nation that worships at the altar of celebrity. As another selfish, morality- challenged, poor role model star died, not even knowing which man had fathered her child, and as a final sex scandal whirled around her, tens of millions of people mourned the death of this woman. What other worthy and deserving stories might have been ignored or neglected on this day? Whose death can we contrast with hers? And what does this celebrity-worship say about our nation? More importantly, just what does it say about our values?
On February 9, 2007, 3,000 people risked their lives, families, and freedom to defend their fundamental human rights against an iron-fisted, totalitarian government. Christian persecution groups say that over 3000 people accept Jesus as their personal savior every day in China. In a place where the government routinely tortures and kills Christians, this should be noteworthy. Sadly, no major news outlet even mentioned this. But, you see, the lead story on February 9 was the death of Anna Nicole Smith. I guess there was no space left.
February 9, 2007, began like any normal day at the Ellis residence. It would not remain that way for long. Sometime on that day, February 9, 2007, Two Marine Corps officers brought the news that Sergeant Major Joseph Ellis had been killed in the line of duty in Iraq. Although this should be noteworthy, it received scant attention from any major news outlet. Perhaps this story was neglected, because, it was considered a trivial matter compared to the death of Anna Nicole Smith.
Sergeant Major Ellis died for his country. Perhaps his sense of honor and duty was too old fashioned to warrant more than a casual mention. The incredible bravery of the Chinese Christians surely pales in the wake of Smith’s death. They were probably a bunch of “fundamentalist”, “narrow-minded” and “homophobic” folks anyway. And anyway, they are “dinosaurs” in the age of moral relativism. Nope, the media needs to focus on the important stories.
The reaction to the death of Anna Nicole Smith is an indictment of our nation’s moral state and sense of values. The celebrity- worship culture is pulling America’s values into the sewer. What once was scorned is now honored. What was once discouraged is now celebrated. It appears the Sergeant Major Ellis’ of the world and the brave Christians belong to another age, and are caught in a time warp. And that should be seen as an indictment not just of the media, but of all of us!
Copyright 2007 Timothy E. Davis