While running on the treadmill this afternoon, I caught a newsflash on CNN which was playing on the TV above me. I couldn't hear what was said, but I could read the closed captioning. The anchor was talking about singer Amy Winehouse and how she's been hospitalized with emphysema. If you aren't familiar with Winehouse, she has a hit song aptly named, "Rehab." It seems this young lady, aged 25, is determined to leave this earth as fast as she can. She's been in rehab for a cocaine addiction and continues to be reckless with her life. Now, she's been diagnosed with emphysema, a disease more closely associated with smokers of more advanced age.
From what I can tell, the media has gotten a great deal of mileage at Miss Winehouse's expense. There are pictures splattered all over the internet showing her with a white, powdery substance under her nose and tears in her eyes. Other photos show close-up shots of her arms and legs revealing what looks to be track marks (injection points) where she has shot up either heroin or coke. It's tragic what is happening. She's a human being and no one seems to be helping her.
I guess what prompted me to blog about this was something I read tonight on the internet. A few months back, I did a Google search on Winehouse and watched a video on You Tube of her song "Rehab." She has a wonderful voice and the tune reminds you of an old Vegas lounge act or some coffeehouse trio. After seeing how she is falling apart I got online tonight and read an article about her admittance to the hospital. So, again I Googled her name and came across a web site that is asking its readers to predict the date and time of Amy Winehouse's death. Can you believe that? What has happened to us, as a species? Have we grown so insensitive we would actually revel in calling the time of someone's death and find that entertaining? I find it repulsive and sick.
Recently, the Australian government intervened in television programming in that country, calling for more stringent guidelines for behavior, specifically profanity, on television. It seems that one Australian official was fed up with certain "reality" shows airing on local stations. He called the shows "crude" and said Australians were becoming a nation of "crude people." The same could be said in many places, such as the U.K., where this web site prophesying Amy Winehouse's demise originated, and the U.S. We are losing our civility to make a buck or to be entertained by foolish behavior on television. And now, some complete idiots are "cashing in" (their words) on the death of what should have been a bright singing star.
My call is for someone out there to please help Amy Winehouse before someone collects on the i-Pod Touch that is the grand prize for accurately predicting her death. Ironically, I'm certain "Rehab" will be one of the preloaded songs on the i-Pod. How nice.
I also urge everyone to remember we are a civil society, not animals. I'm glad someone in Australia had the guts to stand up and say enough. Too bad we are so blinded by political correctness and have become so incredibly sterilized by the garbage on American TV that someone in our government doesn't have the courage and moral decency to draw the line.
I'm not sure what it will take. But I'll lay this challenge at the feet of any lawmaker in Washington. Stand up in Congress tomorrow and put forth a bill to clean up television programming in the United States. I have a used 2 gigabyte, i-Pod Nano with over 400 songs already loaded that I'd be happy to give you. Maybe it'll save a life or someone's soul.
I pray for Amy Winehouse and others like her. This is the true reality of life. And unlike American Idol or Top Chef there are no winners. If she dies, someone will get a shiny new i-Pod.
You tell me...did they really win?
TFR
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