Breaking coverage of tragic death of a beautiful young woman

[scoopmeister]

http://www.attytood.com/2007/02/breaking_news_young_woman_meet.html

Her name is Jennifer M. Parcell. She was just 20 years old, and she graduated in 2004 from Fallston High School in her hometown, Bel Air, Md.

A couple of years ago, Jennifer Parcell went to Parris Island and watched the Marine graduation services for her older brother, Joseph. She decided that she, too, wanted to join the Marines, and eventually both Jennifer Parcell and her brother were sent to Iraq, even serving at the same post for a time.

But then, they separated. Yesterday, Jennifer Parcell was supporting combat operations in Al Anbar province when she was killed in action. If we had more information about her death, we would provide it. But here at Attytood, we don't have the millions of dollars in resources or the extra manpower that they have at CNN, or MSNBC, or Fox News.

We wish we did, because then we could give the life and death of Jennifer Parcell the national attention that it truly deserves.

Who did you think the headline was referring to? Please read the rest.

[Critters2]

1. Thank you for putting things in perspective. nt

[Bluebear]

2. It really bothers you, that people mourn Anna, doesn't it?

You have been at mocking them a whole lot.

[Bucky]

5. Two unrelated tragedies. I'm sad for them both.

Let's not argue about these things, friends. Let's show the respect these starcrossed people have due.

[Name removed]

7. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Name removed]

8. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Obamarama]

11. Yeah.....it does.

Culturally, the woman was akin to the lowest common denominator. She really had nothing to offer society as a whole, although I'm sure she was certainly loved and valued by her family and friends. It is boggling to the mind, however, that someone who contributed so little to any of our lives is mourned as if she did. It's sort of creepy, actually.

[Bluebear]

12. Maybe she contributed something to someone's life here.

One poster said he loved her. Why is it so damned necessary for people to belittle people's feelings here lately?

Would the OP here even have known about this dead young woman if it weren't for searching out her death today to make a point about Anna Nicole Smith? THAT is creepy.

[WinkyDink]

21. Is "celebrity" a new concept ?

[HeeBGBz]

23. What's creepy is the insensitivity I've seen today

I'm sick of the meanspiritedness I see everywhere. Stripper, Playmate, Goldigger, drugged up blonde hoochiemama. Of course she contributed nothing to society! :sarcasm:

Classism and sexism running rampant.

[Bluebear]

24. You forgot "whore"

Yup.

[girl gone mad]

44. Funny, that old double standard.

If it were a male athlete, even a troubled one (OJ excepted), I can't imagine this level of vitriol. A poor woman achieves wealth and fame through possibly the only means open to her (and I was even accused of sexism for pointing out that this was probably her only chance fame and money) and she's desecrated for it.

[ForrestGump]

36. Lowest Common Denominator?

How the hell would you know?

You and your little buddies here -- regardless of actual buddyship or not -- are the Low ones.

And its sure as hell not your place to claim she contributed nothing, most strikingly so because you obviously know nothing about the woman or her history beyond the bare bones of a part of her career and public life. Try reading some of the posts about her and what she did in her life with a more open mind and maybe you'll realize you've shot past the truth in your eagerness to -- whether from jealousy, snobbishness, pure nastiness or iconoclastic glee -- smear her and offend and hurt people hereabouts to whom she may actually have meant something.

You should be ashamed of yourself.

[blonndee]

39. Right ON!

:applause:

[Obamarama]

43. Yup...that's what I said...lowest common denominator.

And I stand by it.

[Jamastiene]

13. Working overtime on it too, from what I have seen.

For someone that hated someone so much, some people seem to be awfully obsessed with hating Anna Nicole Smith, a fellow human being. I just can't figure it out.

[Bluebear]

17. And she's a minister.

I discovered that before we put each other on our ignore lists. Tsk.

[Jamastiene]

35. I see. That's a fine example of the kind that made

me leave Christianity altogether until I learned that there are loving Christians out there. Apparently that one didn't decide to follow the love and kindness part of the Bible. It's rather unfortunate. I sure would hate to have that kind of minister preach my funeral. The venom that would spew forth. I don't think I'd want my family and friends subjected to that kind of hatred for the dead. It's sad, isn't it?

[nonconformist]

42. WOW

Just... wow. I had no idea. Then again, how could I have EVER guessed...

[ShortnFiery]

News to the contrary gets under your skin.

You say "Anna" like you actually knew this woman instead of tabloid news snippets? Did you? :wow:

IMO, We come at life from vastly different perspectives. Perhaps it's the fact that I nearly died three times before the age of eight; or that my friend threw himself under a bus (committed suicide) because the other children teased him mercilessly ... perhaps many intense experiences have jaded my empathy and I'm a little more careful whom I can extend it to. :shrug:

I don't know WHAT it is and I am NOT claiming any type of moral high ground. All I can ask is how in this world can people get so emotionally attached to a beautiful, yet mostly selfish and unappealing celebrity? Really, for the life of me, I just don't get it?

The forgoing "misunderstanding" does not make some of us "mean spirited" nor "animals." It's just that through our life experiences we choose to save our heartfelt grief mostly for those close to our persons or life VALUES.

If there's anything left over to give ... to open up and feel sympathy for, it's given freely to a person who is poor and disenfranchised. Our Soldiers and those poor who are without homes or shelter qualify. Not many others in my book. It's simply a survival mechanism.

[Bluebear]

16. Well.

This woman gave birth and lost a son the same day. Six months later she is dead. It touches me. Why this person has to go from thread to thread mocking and jeering people who are affected is beyond me.

Oh and my mother committed suicide and I was teased mercilessly as a child, too. Those things happened to make me more compassionate, not more guarded I guess.

[Obamarama]

18. RE: "going thread to thread..."

If every other thread wasn't about ANS, then I guess we'd be commenting on something else, no doubt more substantial, lol.

[ShortnFiery]

20. I'm not less compassionate, but forgive me if I save my tears for

those soldiers who truly do a service for our country. As you call her, "Anna" represents everything spoiled and selfish in this earthly existence.

You'll have to excuse me if I save my tears for our soldiers and and the homeless.

Your "Anna" wasted her life and only warrants basic sigh and a mild regret at another loss of a human life, nothing more - celebrity does not vault the, IMO, vapid souls to a place of honor. :shrug:

[Bluebear]

22. Would it be better if I had said "Miss Smith"?

"You'll have to excuse me if I save my tears for our soldiers and and the homeless."

You are so "noble" and liberal, I have never done "shit" for the soldiers or the "homeless", show me the "way".

[ShortnFiery]

25. I rest my case ... &

May Peace Be With You. :hi: :hug:

[Bluebear]

26. Yeah, have a wonderful life

May time turn you into a less bitter person. Adieu.

[cboy4]

28. Unlike you, many of us are able to multi-task our compassion

and feel somber about this human being named

Anna Nicole Smith, while remaining compassionate for those in Iraq and the homeless.

It's fascinating how some people are seemingly so unable to distribute their compassion for all decent human beings.

Nobody as far as I know is advocating a national holiday in wake of her death. :eyes:

[ThomCat]

30. What a horribly judgemental and bitter post.

You've judged her entire life, as if you have any right to. That's far more intimate than someone referring to her as Anna.

And yet you criticize him for referring to her intimately. There's a word for that...

You keep saving your compassion. You only have so much of it, you know. If you spend it all now you might not have enough later. :eyes:

[bliss_eternal]

31. ...tears?

Who's crying? Is someone shedding tears?

[donco6]

40. Well, at least allow people their sigh.

You haven't been able to do even that.

[flvegan]

41. I'd never save my tears.

To judge one person against another at their end isn't human. To give them value based on what one person thinks, isn't human. Limiting emotion, one of the stalwarts of what separates us from all else, isn't human. Many folks will mourn, truly mourn the loss of this person as will any other.

By that, and via the definition of compassionate, you're wrong. You are less compassionate.

[Obamarama]

19. Amen, ShortnFiery....you said it so much more eloquently than I could have hoped to!

You nailed it on the head for me.

[ScreamingMeemie]

27. I am thinking Bluebear said "Anna" because 1. It's quicker to type

when 2. people are going to know at this point who Bluebear is talking about. Do we not use the term "Hillary" here? :shrug:

[Bluebear]

29. Oh MrsG, what has happened to us here?

People flitting from thread to thread like butterflies to show how "sophisticated" they are for not watching TV/following celebrity deaths/being offended by commercials. When did people actively make a point of saying "who cares" when people die? It's depressing. :(

[blonndee]

32. Sophisticated,

my ass. This behavior reminds me of those immature high school "too cool for school" posers who were actually so self-loathing and insecure that they wouldn't DARE appear to be compassionate or even interested in the least.

[Bluebear]

33. blonndee, you nailed it. It's "cool" to have ice water running through your veins

to appear that nothing interests you. Sounds like an empty life to me.

[ShortnFiery]

46. OK, you all keep clicking your ruby slippers together while saying,

"There's no celebrity like Anna ... There's no celebrity like Anna."

But no matter how hard you bully or degrade those of us who think she was a waste of humanity, you can NOT force us to bow before a spoiled rich woman who wasted everything in her life, to include herself resulting in her predictable demise.

Because I feel this way does not make me any more horrid than those who tout self-righteous concern for every little entity. I'm sure you'll be bringing out the crying towel as soon as a right wing celebrity passes into the next world? Yeah? Sure. :eyes:

We are all entering into a theater of the absurd, be advised. :hi:

[ScreamingMeemie]

34. It makes me weep for the decline of civility, BBear.

:hug:

I am the type who is still bummed out when someone is overtly rude and lets a door fling back in my face, or pushes my son out of the way. Then to come and see it here, among progressives.

[PassingFair]

50. Come ON....

Don't you think this is getting SILLY?

I wouldn't post "who cares?" on a message board, but REALLY.....

it doesn't affect me AT ALL that Anna Nicole Smith died.
I HOPE that her daughter gets cared for by someone who will
love her.

Posters who are crowing that they are more "compassionate" than thou
because they type condolences onto a POLITICAL message board
are beyond silly.

Really......

RIP Anna, but I didn't know you, or yours.
And the last time I checked, this was a
GENERAL DISCUSSION ROOM ON A POLITICAL MESSAGE BOARD.

[ScreamingMeemie]

51. No. I, myself, am not completely bummed out...although it was saddening

to me yesterday from a mother's point of view, as it was sad and shocking all of us in this household of the unsophisticated. It's the deeper point... If one doesn't like it, one is free to hide the thread. Instead of starting a gajillion other threads on how irritating it is. Civility is dead on this forum where people think they sometimes sit on a higher horse than others because of what they choose to post. General Discussion is general discussion of each and every news topic. I put my two cents in on this one because we both know what an avid People reader I am.

[LostinVA]

45. I know --

[El Supremo]

3. Man, is this country fouled up! n/m

[Bonobo]

4. Yes, but on the other hand...

You could argue that Anna at least never up a gun, so she could claim the higher road from that perspective.

Edited to soften the sound of the statement, not the content.

[wildhorses]

6. that is sad--i am sorry to see this

my condolences to her family

[judaspriestess]

9. RIP sister

thank you for your service and unfortunately your sacrifice.

[senseandsensibility]

10. What a terrible ending to a too short

life. What a sad,terrible tragic ending for someone who was brave and wanted to help her country. Our soldiers deserve so much better and so much more attention from the "media."

[MetaTrope]

14. What this news media REALLY needs is another house fire in Kentucky

:rant:

[GainesT1958]

15. I find Jennifer Parcell's story infinitely more interesting...

Than Anna Nicole Smith's. Desiring to serve one's country and joining with one's brother in doing that is far more important and honorable than achieving Playmate of the Year and becoming an elderly billionaire's next "trophy wife".

I have sympathy for the entire Parcells family, but only for Anna Nicole's baby girl. The respective losses will, indeed, affect all of THEM for the rest of their lives.

B-)

[flvegan]

37. This is another tragic death. Using it to make a point, is tragic in and of itself.

And disrespectful, and not "in perspective"

However, part of me thanks you for bringing this to light. Ms. Parcell deserves her own spotlight.

[Bluebear]

38. It IS disrespectful.

Combing the headlines to find a female soldier who died to prove how "concerned and troubled" you are versus other headlines. Very sick.

And you are right, Ms. Parcell deserves her own spotlight as do the other 3000+ who have now died for George W. Bush's folly.

[Dorian Gray]

47. How awful

I hope that she will find peace in the hereafter. :(

[Jacobin]

48. I doubt she was the kind who would have wanted National Enquirer

type coverage of her demise.

Her passing is a tragedy.

[deadparrot]

49. Actually, I figured it would be a soldier.

Perhaps you aren't as clever as you thought.

Obviously, I can't mourn her passing at the same time that I acknowledge the sadness surrounding ANS's death and her child's loss of a mother.:sarcasm: