Tuesday, September 2, 2008
The media over the last few days has been enthralled by the development of the GOP VP candidate’s daughter being pregnant. Familial privacy has been debated, similar to the past Commander in Chief and his inability to keep his pants up, pundits and citizens alike have argued that personal lives can or should be kept separate from public life. This follows the American tradition of establishing facades that cannot be maintained. She has been and will continue to be questioned regarding her ability to manage like the executive office requires. The first commitment and area of management is her home. If you want to know how someone will handle public life, private life will provide a window for this. Why do we think that someone who cannot maintain personal commitments can uphold public commitments? This inconsistency rests in the fact that modern America does not require morality or honesty but only appearance
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4 comments:
I must admit that I was prepared to argue that "family is off limits" as Obama put it, but your argument does have a little weight to it. Although, I am not thoroughly convinced. The daughter is not a public figure. At no time did she willingly choose the spotlight that her mother is now exposed to. Furthermore, pregnant or not, she is still a minor. I would think that there should be some sort of boundary where minors are concerned.
The girl is 100% fair game. Why would Jamie Lynn Spears be not off limits, but this girl is. This girl is now officially a celebrity through the association with her mother. Should this really affect the campaign? It could but I don't think so. One pregnancy is different than a drug problem or an ongoing issue that can be stopped. The girl could have gotten pregnant at school lets just say for the sake of discussion. How could Palin have stopped or controlled that?
We don't necessarily have all the information, and my opinion could change if more information came out about her mother facilitating or missing an opportunity to intercede. Family and friends are important in politics and the media is only doing its job--which is to cover everything and anything.
In politics, for the media to attack a minor is just tacky. As for morality, everyone makes mistakes; the real test of character is how one deals with life's unexpected bumps and consequence. It's real easy for media to be all or nothing on issues regarding personal life, but the bottom line is we don't really know. Do we? All we are seeing is the "outside" perception. That's a reality I wouldn't put too much faith in.
Comparing Palin's daughter to Jamie Lynn Spears is not appropriate. Jamie Lynn Spears is a celebrity who signed a contract. She entered into the public spotlight by choice...maybe perusaded by her sister and her parents. Furhtermore, no one really said it was right to spotlight her either. At some point, even public figures should be able to establish a boundary. Look at Brittney...batshit. done lost her damn mind. Maybe she should have been left alone for her own mental health and recovery?
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