Natalie Holloway: Do you give a fuck?

[DiamondJay]

Poll question: Natalie Holloway: Do you give a fuck?

All the time in the news, we are hearing about Natalie Holloway this, Joran Van Der Sloot that, boycott Aruba bla blah blah. So I'm asking, how much of a fuck if any do you give about this matter? Its not that I don't hope they find her, its that this concerns no one but her parents, friends and loved ones. Not the story whore drive-by media

[I work for workers]

1. According to the action packed Google ad, yes, I'm desperate for more!

[americanstranger]

2. I'm even sick of the ad that's been running here all day.

I really don't understand what the fascination is.

- as

[Ghost in the Machine]

9. Have you *no* decency? No compassion? Holy Cow!

It's a missing, blond white woman!!

Whyyyy... that's 'murka, mom, liberty, gawd & apple pie all rolled in one wholesome body of goodness!!

Why do you hate 'murka, mom, liberty, gawd & apple pie??


:hi:

[americanstranger]

63. Whew. Thought you were serious there for a sec.

As I mentioned in another thread, Natalie Holloway is more of a commodity at this point. A subject with which to fill air time, like Chandra Levy and Laci Peterson (and let's not forget Terri Schiavo, although that circumstance was a bit different) before her.

One human's murder is tragic, but the murder of nearly a million people is criminal. Natalie Holloway gets a 90-minute special on 20/20 while the murder of hundreds of thousands in Iraq goes unmentioned. If there was a 90-minute special about nearly a million civilian deaths in Iraq, people's heads would explode.

The media has its priorities a little messed up. Make that very messed up.

- as

[Teaser]

3. No, but people like their entertainment

especially when its distilled from real life tragedy.

It could be worse. We could actually have a "Running Man" gameshow.

[bluestateguy]

4. I'm very sorry for her family

But it's not national news.

[libertee]

5. I feel very sorry for her parents and friends..Reliving a nightmare benefits whom?

[DiamondJay]

6. how could you badmouth enriching Bill O'Reilly even more?

cmon, how coudl u diss that, hes probably made like 20 mil alone of blabbing about this on his show

[libertee]

10. Billy and Rushy could take a flyin' leap...twould be nice.

[splat]

7. These ads are choking my sytsem; badly formed?

[Kutjara]

8. I'm not sure which answer to choose.

I'd like to pick "I don't give a fuck," but wouldn't that mean that I at least gave enough of a fuck to participate? In which case, I give slightly more than a fuck, and so can't honestly answer that I don't. Yet, deep down, I really don't give a fuck.

I hate paradoxes.

[Octafish]

11. How would you feel if it were your daughter?

Or sister?
Or girlfriend?
Or someone you just knew?

I don't like what ABCNNBCBSFauxNoiseNutwork and all of Corporate McPravda do to hide the criminality, warmongering, genocide and treason by the BFEE.

I also blame them for robbing so many of their humanity.

[toadzilla]

13. I would be tired of them exploiting her death for ratings. n/t

[otohara]

53. On The Other Hand

had it not been for her mother, who has been relentless in her efforts to get to the truth, that kid might not have ever been arrested 3 times. Hell if my kid ended up dead somewhere, you bet I'd use the media in any way shape or for to keep the case alive.

[Jed Dilligan]

12. You know? I think her death was tragic

But I think more than half the media appeal of these kinds of cases is as snuff porn for the masses.

[Trajan]

14. Pitifully misdirected ...

And, of course, poorly worded ....

(How does one 'Give A Fuck' ? .....)

As a considerate human being, I OF COURSE care about whether or not other human beings are being harmed or killed ..... As a considerate human being, I OF COURSE care about whether or not justice can be found for those who perpetrate such criminal acts against innocent human beings ...

Now I would ask: How can a considerate human being allow the drumbeat of media excess twist their feelings in such a way as to deny the basic humanity of a poor girl who was wrongly killed ?

The mere fact that the media plays this story should NOT interfere with the basic curve of the story itself .... It isnt Natalie's fault that the media hounds are playing her like this .....

In this case: WHO is the sheep, and who is the shepherd ? .. Who is being lead by the nose to inhumanity ?

[burythehatchet]

18. well stated, Trajan.

[H2O Man]

38. Well said.

Thank you for taking the time to give an intelligent response to a callous and ignorant OP.

[Speciesamused]

51. Where were this underage girls parents?

They sent her to Aruba so she could party. It is well known
that underage kids go there yearly to party. They where
ignorant parents. Do they know about the daily kidnappings
across the world. Young women sold into sex slavery.
The parents are the ones who should be ashamed not us.
You do not send your child to a FOREIGN country to party!!!!
What the hell where they thinking. Oh they they did not think,
she wanted to go so they let her.

[Bright Eyes]

15. I feel bad for her family and friends.

But I'm sick of hearing about it.

[Warpy]

16. I'd like enough bones to be found to give her family some closure

as I'd want that for anyone missing a child.

That's about it.

[Tarc]

17. Missing White Woman Syndrome

Not really, no, to answer the question. Any senseless deathlike this is a tragedy, but...did it deserve wall-to-wall media coverage? Tens of hundreds of people die tragically every day and don't get the "honor" of a Nancy Grace tirade at the injustice at their killers still remaining at large. Why does she get it while many others don't?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Missing_white_woman

[Dogmudgeon]

19. Natalee and Terri

Do I care? Only in the sense of wanting to see justice done. This case is not really my concern. But I do understand, just a very little, what her loved ones have been through.

My fifth-grade "girlfriend" Terri was brutally murdered in 1984. It was a notorious crime, messy and lurid, and people over about 35 from the Philadelphia area may remember it. We were not close friends at the time, but we had kept in touch. She managed a fast-food place near where I worked, and I had seen her a week or so before she was killed. She had recently gotten engaged and was getting promoted.

It took a decade and a half to track down her killer, using tissue samples that were cryogenically preserved in 1984 in the hope DNA analysis would someday advance to where the case could be solved. On a hunch (and using extant evidence), in 1999, detectives got a warrant to search her fiancee's trash and took his DNA from a cigarette butt. Confronted with the evidence, he confessed, and is now serving a life sentence.

It was, I believe, the first time DNA had been used to solve a murder case in which the victim was not a police officer.

The crime didn't obsess me, but it did gnaw at a small place in my memory. When her killer was discovered and the case was solved, I did feel a sense of relief -- just a little one, but I imagine it was quite healing for her siblings, close friends, relatives, parents and stepdad. And contrary to how DAs usually describe things, I had no desire for revenge. Of course, Terri's death was not a large loss for me, but most of her family didn't seem to want revenge, either -- though her mother was quite active in pestering the local police to keep the case open.

You don't get a good sense of what this is like from the news or Court TV -- and Court TV did make a program about the case. It was depicted as a "procedural" or technical whodunit, and the feelings of her family were "edited" to produce a sterile "closure" to what was a true-life crime drama.

I've had a few "interesting" things happen in my life that were tragedies; you may have, too, but I hope not. When they actually happen to you, the experience is far different from the popular depiction of it. So I hope Joren vdSloet's admission helps bring some sense of peace to Natalee's family and friends. You can't really call it "closure", but it is far better than the secondary wound of never knowing.

Well, folks ... thanks for letting me bend your digital ears again.

--p!
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9B04E4DE143BF934A35751C0A96F958260"> Man Arrested In '84 Killing After DNA Is Matched
http://www.vidocq.org/trentonian/tonian980601.html">Vidocq Forensic Society

[tyedyeto]

20. The only reason I give a 'fuck'.......

is for her family.

They need some sort of closure.

Yes, they are the ones who kept this in the M$M spotlight, but only to find out what happened.

Do we deny her family that closure? Or do we, as a community, tell that family..... I'm tired of hearing about this, so shut the fuck up?

If I had a missing child, I'd do whatever I could to find out what happened.

[DiamondJay]

21. well what I mean is if you love hearing about it all day

on every news channel for at least 30 minutes or more, with them trying to blab on about a case which will never be solved. This has all the makings of a cold case. of course i care for her family, but i don't care to hear about it. ever.

[tyedyeto]

22. Since I never watch the 'all the news, all the time' channels

I have no idea if this is being played 24/7.

But if I was a parent of a missing child, I'd want some sort of closure. And I'd make damn sure that the 'case' was being reported on. No matter how the closure happens.

Sorry, but my sympathies go with her parents.

[WillowTree]

23. Yes, I care.

She was a promising young life shuffed-out needlessly and tragically. Her parents' hearts are broken.

I, for one, give a damn about that.

[tyedyeto]

25. So, do I and I don't even watch cable news n/t

[newmajority]

24. Someone being murdered is always tragic, of course

But why the FUCK is the murder of one white girl a national news story. Let alone a dominant news story for over two years.

And any sympathy I had Mrs. Holloway ended when she got involved with that pedophile bastard John Ramsey. I still say that son of a bitch is guilty of something in his kid's murder.

[raccoon]

36. He and Patsy both were, IMO. nt

[Quantess]

26. Half & half.

I care a little, but not nearly as much as the media does, and I'm only interested when there is new information.

[Skittles]

27. the initial story was news

the continued coverage is sick exploitations

[cboy4]

28. It's not a national news story. It's a local news story.....

Having said all of that, I do give a fuck because I know about the case.

And I know how devastated I'd be if my sister disappeared without a trace.

There's no closure for this family, so I feel very bad for them -- as I would for any family in the same situation.

I do think if the national media is going to insist on covering missing women, it does a better job of not just focusing on white women who come from "good families."

[SoCalDem]

29. I don't like hearing about it so much, BUT as a parent, I WOULD

ache inside not knowing where my daughter ended up..and to know that the person(people) responsible were walking around free..

Our press loves stories like this, and they are not going to stop covering them.. I just change the channel :(

[Bluebear]

30. Yes, I do "give a fuck" as you so cavalierly put it.

I "give a fuck" because I am aware of the story, I would like there to be justice, I would like for her family to have peace and an end to their never-ending misery.

Whether I support FOX News exploiting it is another question, but the minute you start not "giving a fuck" about a horrible story like this, you are losing a part of your OWN humanity.

[Behind the Aegis]

32. Bravo!

Be she white, black (or a nice shade of mocha), or anything else, I too "give a fuck." I know you (Bluebear) are aware of how many of our (GLBT) missing/murdered go unnoticed by the media. I am certain that you don't care if the missing/murdered person is straight, you still want justice. Yes, it would be nice if we got the same "air" time, but we know that is not the case.

In short, I agree with you. Bluebear, you fucking ROCK!

Happy Mardi Gras from New Orleans!

[Bluebear]

55. And Happy Mardi Gras back to you, friend!

[Telegram Sam]

31. Absolutely...

...unfortunately, this story is taking away valuable minutes of news time from more important issues -


such as the latest Britney meltdown.

[lynne]

33. I most certainly do -

- and I hope that I always have enough compassion to care about what happens to others. I applaud her mother for keeping this in the front of the news in hope of finding out what happened to her daughter. We all have choice and if you don't like the mega-coverage, simply don't watch it.

[Beer Snob-50]

40. i agree with you that we should have enough compassion

however, there are hundreds of people missing yearly and all we see are generally the "cute white ones". this is just something to keep our minds off of how bad the country is really getting.

[Balbus]

34. "drive-by" media...

Term sounds familiar. Where have I heard that before...

[DiamondJay]

71. hahah i know but I love the sound of that phrase

yea yea limbaugh uses it but its a funny line. hes only 99.9999999% bad

[Echo In Light]

35. Yet compare thread "views" w/others containing substantive material

[varelse]

37. I feel bad for her family and their loss

but I'm just not that interested in the spoiled rich playboy who dumped her body after she overdosed on cocaine. There are more productive things the news media could be doing.

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

39. I give a fuck about all violence and the violence to women seems neverending. nt

[Echo In Light]

44. Yes, the dilemma, and it's social variants, NOT media exploitation of said dilemma

Used as "filler" to occupy the vacuum created by the fourth estate not doing its job as a system of checks and balances between Power and The People.

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

46. Very well said. Thank you.

Peace
Ommmmmmmmmmm

[Echo In Light]

48. An aside: One of my favorite bands is Om {formerly SF stoner's Sleep}

http://www.holymountain.com/om.html

http://letters-from-a-tapehead.blogspot.com/2007/12/oms-holy-mountain.html

[Evergreen Emerald]

41. I do. I have a daughter

who is bright and beautiful and has the world ahead of her. I applaud her family for continuing the hunt for her killer. And it only helps them to keep it alive in the media.

[Echo In Light]

45. That's not why national, agenda setting media keep it "alive."

[Solly Mack]

42. I care..for the truth to come out. For her family to find peace

One can care and be disgusted by the media exploitation.

One can care and realize that not everyone gets equal attention in the media when they go missing or are found dead - or even attacked.

One can even care while bringing up the inequities of missing person reporting.(death, attacks, etc)

One can care and realize that there are other stories that will impact the world at large, and for longer. Though, frankly, how anyone doesn't get that this is a nightmare of parents the world over - and does impact a great many people - is beyond me.

And yes, that fear is being exploited as well. But understanding that doesn't ease the sorrow of a parent who is missing a child or who must now bury their child ...or the shared grief parents feel...because it could be them...it could be their child. And in a world of war and hunger...it all too often is someone's child that is missing, dying, already dead, or starving..

Be angry with those who victimized Natalie Holloway. Be angry with those that used her to sell news and to spread fear. Be angry at the injustice of all of it - the loss,the exploitation,the inequities.

But even in your anger....Care. Give a fuck.

[MiniMe]

43. I'm glad that the mother finally god her answers, BUT this story should

have been covererd as a small story when it happened and the results now should be reported as a resolution, as another small story. The coverage of this, and Brittney, etc is disgusting. Too many people have a tabloid mentality now, promoted by the MSM and Faux Noise

[Dorian Gray]

47. Yes

I give a "fuck." I feel bad for her, her family and all her friends who lost her.

I don't watch the story at all on the news, though.

[Stuckinthebush]

49. I have three daughters

I give a fuck and you should too.

Think.

[JVS]

50. While it doesn't personally involve me, I cannot say that I don't give a fuck about a murder.

[geek_sabre]

52. I give a fuck about any murder

I care about this case because there is a lot to be learned from it.

ie, school trip to exotic trip + freeflowing alcohol + minimal supervision = bad idea.

[DadOf2LittleAngels]

54. I care enough for updates now and again but had real fatigue when it

was on 24*7...

The lesson here is dont let your kids go on trips to places where the main interest is drinking and having sex. Were this a class field trip to Paris or Japan or .... It would have been a bit different.

When I was 17 I went on a class trip to Italy where we had something scheduled pretty much every day from 9am to about 2pm thus we had to be in the hotel by 9pm and in our rooms by 11pm. Did not stop us from sneaking booze in but it did cut down on what me might have done..

[mentalsolstice]

56. Yeah, I do give a fuck, because I live in her community.

I agree that it may not be as national newsworthy, as it's played up to be. I knew another girl who was on that same senior trip, it could've just as easily been her.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

57. No, I don't watch that show.

I've seen the commercials for it and it looks really stupid.

[Der Blaue Engel]

58. I haven't heard a damn thing about it except here

But then I don't waste my time with the MSM.

At any rate, I give a fuck about anyone who has been victimized in this fashion. I don't care what color their hair is.

[jakefrep]

59. I don't want to hear another word about this case....

until/unless there's a verdict. We don't need all the sordid details.

[Dukkha]

60. it's no one's business but the family and investigators

the media vultures need to be put down

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

61. Therefore, send not to know For whom the bell tolls, It tolls for thee.

No man is an island,
Entire of itself.
Each is a piece of the continent,
A part of the main.
If a clod be washed away by the sea,
Europe is the less.
As well as if a promontory were.
As well as if a manner of thine own
Or of thine friend's were.
Each man's death diminishes me,
For I am involved in mankind.
Therefore, send not to know
For whom the bell tolls,
It tolls for thee.

John Donne

[onenote]

62. i hate to break it to you, but the public has been fascinated by stories like this for a long time

You can rant and rail about it all you want, but its not going to change anything. You may not remember the Sam Sheppard and Jeffrey MacDonald murder cases, but I do.

[Kajsa]

64. Goran Vandersloot didn't give a fuck.

That much was evident from the tapes on last night's 20/20.

I can only imagine what her family is going through.

;(

[closeupready]

65. Are you resentful because the media isn't covering YOUR life more?

Or something? Sounds like a very childish, Ann Coulter sort of thing to do.

[DiamondJay]

70. no, but how about the Iraqi people's lives

and the millions of OTHER Americans who starve and have no health care? No one covers them, or the thousands of other missing people who may NOT happen to be hot ass young girls.

[closeupready]

74. We're talking apples and oranges.

There is no question that the media could do a better job covering issues that impact more people.

But news coverage need not exclude human interest, or even entertainment, news stories.

And it's hyperbole to suggest that NO media sources are covering the lives of Iraqis or hungry Americans, or those who are uninsured. Not enough, I'll give you that.

[Elspeth]

66. You need a choice for "half a fuck"

Maybe even "a quarter of a fuck"

That I could answer truthfully

[IsItJustMe]

67. On a scale of 1-10. Holloway would be 1. The fact that there over a million Iraqies dead and over

4.000 American soldiers dead because of a war that was started over a lie and the fact that our media doesn't cover it, well, that would be a 10.

[spoony]

68. I give a fuck but the constant "could this be it?" media coverage is annoying.

The authorities are morons. The media are morons. It'd be a comedy of the absurd except that a girl is probably dead in the middle of it all.

[trueblue2007]

69. What a nasty thread

[Maine-ah]

76. my thought too, trueblue.

very sad.

[zorahopkins]

72. Britney!! What About Britney??!!

Natalie is taking time away from the coverage of Britney!!

I need information about Britney!!

[Bluebear]

73. Here it is: Britney is not dead. Natalee Holloway most likely is.

Maybe not, but probably, and her mother and father are devastated.

[Arugula Latte]

75. Millions of people around the world affected by war, flood, famine, earthquakes, crime

Millions upon Millions affected by Bushco policies ...

What if CNN devoted even a small fraction of the time they've spent on Holloway to problems affecting millions of people. Yes, the Holloway story is a tratic story, but it is really a local story. There are untold thousands of murdered people the media does not focus on. Their singleminded obsession over Holloway is sickening and disgusting.