The Media's Abuse of Corpse

In many states, there is actually a law which prohibits the mutilation of a corpse. It seems to have two purposes - to show respect for the decedent, but also to prohibit the destruction of evidence which could be collected to prove criminal acts. You might see this charge in cases involving the burning of a dead body to hide a murder, or in the dramatic alternative, in cases involving necrophilia (ed. note: I am thrilled now that Google will find this post when creepy guys search for necrophila. . .ugh.)

However in recent months, the media has taken on their own attempts to abuse a corpse. The Caylee Anthony murder, while heinous, has received so much media attention, I am numb now to the cute childhood images of a toddler playing at home. The murderess, who now sits in jail pending trial, is clearly involved, if not guilty. The discovery of the child's body will likely bring no serious new evidence, other than the fact the child is in fact dead.

In the meantime, every news outlet spends a good portion of their airtime (a disproportionate amount, given the recency and relevance of this child's death on the world's stage) showing images of the crime scene. Yesterday, for example, I was enlightened to the fact that medical examiner was none other than the famous, Dr G., Medical Examiner, from TV's hit show Dr. G. Seriously, the ME also has a TV show. So, not only is the news media benefitting from this child's death, Dr. G has been upping her ratings by showing up to the crime scene. (She is listed as running the investigation. Whore.)

In the meantime, this kid is dead and the media pirahna feed on the flesh and tears.

The problem I fundamentally have is dependency. My wife and I are "dependent" on the news to tell us of the world's events. So every morning, we turn on the news to see if the market has crashed (again), if GM is getting a bailout while our business does not, or if gay's have the right to marry in Alaska. (It could happen) Therefore, we must turn it on while we get ready for work. Instead, I see the same three-day old images which they replay in case someone was in a cave, the first half of the week.

So, until I cure my addiction, I will be forced to endure through images of a dead kid, and pray to the God of little children for jailhouse justice, and a silent vengence for Caylee. Oh and a huge power spike which takes the nation's media outlets offline for a few weeks. We won't miss anything.

On a related note, I did learn yesterday that many of the same legal whores from the Simpson miscarriage of justice will be making appearances to show that Caylee's mother is not the murderess we all know her to be. I am sure they won't let the facts interfere with a good story. More to follow as the trial begins.