Petri appears to be one of those people who only opens her mouth to change feet.
She certainly appears either incapable or unwilling to grasp that the problem was not with her having a caption contest, but with her choice of photo, which was of a person deserving respect, not derision. So let's help: You were making fun of a frail old man, Alex, for no other reason than that he looked frail and old. Most people regard doing such as in terrible taste. Don't hide behind Sarah Palin. Go take a course in remedial manners.
I'm certainly no fan of Sarah Palin. In fact, I despise her. But I found the Petri article abominable. It has nothing to do with politics. It has everything to do with respect and the fundamental principles behind the best satire: if you take a shot at someone, it should probably be directed at the Establishment. I've seen classier jokes on THE FAMILY GUY.
ReplyDeleteBeyond the sheer nastiness, rudeness and snark exhibited here, one wonders if this is the level to which arts and entertainment coverage in the media has sunk. It makes otherwise shallow arts coverage seem Olympian by comparison. This was hardly a clash of intellectual giants, it's more like kindergarteners kicking sand in each others' faces in the sandbox.
ReplyDeleteWhat got lost in all this was any kind of respect FOR the arts, or for our society's elder artists. After all, Hall was being honored by the White House. Did he just get tangled up in yet more anti-Obama rhetoric? Was there politics behind the mockery? Or is it just plain stupid youthful arrogance triumphing over historical sense, just the teenagers trying to knock over their parents again? Hard to say. Sucks either way.