Month: July 2015

Maybe It Was A Mistake… (or in defense of Walter Palmer)

As the hashtag, Cecil the Lion, tops Twitter’s trends list, and the public evisceration of Walter Palmer reaches a fever pitch, there was a couple of things that nagged my spirit: One, the picture making the rounds of Palmer and another man, mugging for the camera behind a massive lion, is NOT the famed Cecil. It’s troublesome because the image is undoubtedly helping to the fan the flames and reputable sites like The Telegraph and Sky News have used the picture in articles and have not made it clear that the image is from 2005. I get that for many, that fact doesn’t matter. The Twitter mob doesn’t have the burden of journalistic integrity, but those news sites do.

Second, the killing is being investigated because the hunter involved reported it to authorities. A report by the Telegraph had the initially anonymous hunter admitting to killing the lion with a foreign client and later reporting the kill to Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority. So, the ensuing charges are not due to some thorough police investigation, but an admittance of fault by the hunters. Why does it matter? Because that means there some level of integrity. The men involved are professional hunters and they must have been well aware of the consequences of illegal hunting. Why admit to killing a famed animal, knowing the possible fallout, if there isn’t some level of honesty there? Whether you have a problem with hunting or not, admitting to something illegal isn’t the habit of people trying to get away with something.

Third, the vast majority of articles that I have read on the subject have quoted Mr. Johnny Rodrigues, head of the Zimbabwe Conservation Task Force. It is his account of events (NOT the police’s, hunters’, Palmer’s or Parks Authority’s) that have been widely reported without much sourcing, including the amount of $50,000 and the specific way in which Cecil was killed, information not given by the police or Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority or Safari Operators Association. So, where is he getting all this information, some of which was later found to be incorrect, from? Not sure Rodrigues or his organization (which is not registered as an official charity/NGO with Zimbabwe’s National Association for Non-Governmental Organizations) have been vetted properly and should be the definite source on this situation, but I’m sure nobody cares about that because that is the last thing on the Twitterverse’s, and apparently, the media’s mind.

Famous For Nothing (or Misogyny, much?)

A recent episode of WatchMojo featured a top ten list of celebrities that are famous for no reason. What struck me was that the only ones who made the cut were females. A tired trend on a lot of these lists. Search the term ‘famous for nothing,’ and you’ll see countdowns littered with the usual suspects (reality stars, children of celebs) and topped by the mother of them all, Kim Kardashian. A few years ago, I would have nodded my head to the beat and banged the drum in the hater parade, but now, I see two things:

Self-righteous judgment masquerading as promotion of talent and true art. The 2000s ushered in the golden (or dark, depending on who you ask) age of reality TV as well the communication landscape known as social media. Suddenly, reaching thousands or millions of people was not the sole province of the chosen few. ANYONE can cross the threshold from obscurity into celebrity without having to beg permission from the establishment. So what happens? Card carrying members of the elite don’t want to walk red carpets and be named in the same breath with someone who’s most famous for pooping on a flight of stairs. So, the argument goes that reality TV celebrates what’s wrong with America and gives a tremendous platform for foolishness, so the success of any person in that genre makes a mockery of success. Only hard workers and people with discernible gifts (not hood rats and rednecks) get touched by Midas. But that’s what so great about reality TV… it democratizes fame. But this type of notoriety, while the easiest to attain, is tremendously difficult to manage because it requires YOU. When an actor or singer gets criticized, it’s about what they do (or maybe what they wear), something separate from their individual selves. For a reality star, you’re getting railed on for who you are on a regular basis (multiply that through social media and you’ve got a recipe for disaster). This is not a life that many can handle much less maintain for a long time, so some credit is due to those who survive which leads to…

Why all the hate? Especially for women that have managed to make something of themselves in a field littered with burnouts and has-beens? So many of the tirades that mention people who are ‘famous for no reason’ almost NEVER mention men. For all the Kardashian talk, no one seems to remember that Brody Jenner’s fame stems almost entirely from reality TV and his debut (in 2005 with The Princes of Malibu) predates his step-sisters’. But mentioning a few male examples isn’t the point. In our culture, there’s something infuriating about a woman who figures out how to monetize her good looks or charisma or both in a way that increases her capital and status. We get mad about the pretty twenty-something who marries the millionaire; she gets called a gold-digger (he doesn’t get called any names); we roll our eyes and suck our teeth at the size 2 supermodel making thousands per fashion shoot (but give a pass to the (likely male) designer and agent who require she maintain her size to fit the clothes) and we gossip about that cute (and competent) co-worker getting all the attention from the front office (but we’re not questioning the fact that the ones at the top of the chain are all men). Women who succeed at using their feminine wiles turn the system on it’s head because they win at game they’re supposed to lose. They snub the idea that the only time it’s acceptable for a woman to be pretty and charming is in service of a man. They also turn their backs on conventional wisdom about what it means to be ladylike. Are Kim Kardashian and Paris Hilton this century’s greatest feminists? I’m not sure, but they’re definitely doing something.