COLUMN: Tragic Humor

As I arrived home from school on a day in April, I picked up the newspaper and flipped through the television stations simultaneously. The headline read, "Attack takes heavy toll on children," while the woman on the screen rambled about having a bad day because "her hair was bigger than herhips. Iwinced. Kathie Lee Gifford and Regis Philbin were having their infamous morning chat in which each tells about his and her evening from the night before. I had always found their chat obnoxious and trivial, but on this particular day, two days after the bomb explosion in Oklahoma City, their petty talk turned my stomach. I couldn't believe that they hadn't even sacrificed a minute of their "Spago-ish" discussion to pay respect to the victims of this catastrophe. Gifford, who incessantly speaks of her two children, and always claims that she loves all of God's children, couldn't muster up a few words for the young victims who needlessly burned and bled on their way to morning day care. Sincerity isn't exactly Gifford's forte, I guess. Several members of this country's media, such as Gifford and Philbin, have treated victims of such tragedies with little respect. The O.J. Simpson trial has covered our newspapers, and has been a part of many of our conversations over the past year. It has also provided comedians and tabloids with a wealth of material. It's ironic that the double-homicide of two innocent people has spawned much of our jokes and entertainment for the last thirteen months. Amidst the hype associated with Simpson came "Jury Duty", a film starring Pauley Shore, an actor who has used idiocy as an occupation. Through its trailers and scathing reviews, I have learned that the film was nothing more than a ploy to get moviegoers' money, and once they were in the theater, "Jury Duty" throws a few stale Simpson jokes in their faces. The audienceattracting slogan was: "Judge Ito- want a bite of my burrito?" See What I mean? Clearly a standard of ethics was not followed in this film which mocked the Brown and Goldman murders. David Letterman put it best last summer when interviewing Howard Stern who appeared on Letterman's show sporting a t-shirt with Simpson's mug shot. Stern, throughout his interview, cracked O.J. jokes, coaxing Letterman to play along, but Letterman's response was: "I just don't find double-homicides funny like I used to." Letterman had to pick between a cheap laugh and holding his moral ground, and he chose the high road. Shouldn't victims be treated with dignity? They should not be ignored, the root of endless jokes, or teased because of their loss. The media ought to have integrity and scruples in the creation of their work. However, not all members of the media do have scruples. And that is where we, the viewing, literate, and educated public come in. We must be selective in how we spend our money and in the jokes at which we choose to laugh. e