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Wednesday, June 20, 2007
What makes people like Lisa Ann Taylor (and Jennifer, Paris, Lindsay) so newsworthy?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Cocaine and marijuana possession, conspiracy to distribute cocaine, prostitution and keeping a place of prostitution. Felony counts of violating Georgia’s Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act and of acquiring or maintaining property through the proceeds of a pattern of racketeering activity.
The Atlanta mafia? No, it’s just a list of charges for which Lisa Ann Taylor (a.k.a. the Mansion Madam), chairperson of the Sugarloaf Social Climbers, has been indicted. She and her accused partner in crime, Nicole Probert (a.k.a. Naughty Nikki), just got the bill for their reported socializing, courtesy of a Gwinnett County grand jury and Danny Porter, the Gwinnett County district attorney.
Lisa has been keeping busy. She hopes to raise the money to cover her expenses by lining up dates to work at strip clubs, cashing in on her new found fame as the Mansion Madam. Apparently, life as a real estate agent hasn’t been quite as promising as she once thought.
You can’t make this stuff up. I wish I could, but my imagination isn’t quite so vivid. Only in America can you allegedly commit some serious crimes and be rewarded by taking off your clothes in front of a bunch of rowdy men for a pretty good pay day.
Sure, Taylor’s house is subject to forfeiture under the racketeering laws. But hey, fame is fleeting. One must take advantage of these opportunities when they arise.
Mr. Porter knows what I’m talking about. “Every time I say something, I make her more famous,” he said.
I feel your pain, Mr. Porter. It isn’t your fault. As much as I would like to blame the media, I really can’t do that either. They wouldn’t report these kinds of stories if a hungry population didn’t eat them up.
I’ve asked this before, I’ll ask it again: What is it about our society that makes people like Lisa Ann Taylor, Jennifer Wilbanks, Paris Hilton, Lindsay Lohan, ad nauseum, so newsworthy?
Part of it, I think, is that we can’t help ourselves, we are drawn to watching these people implode. Part of it is that our society has far too short of an attention span, and we can easily keep up with these “mini dramas.” Mostly, I think that we are just too lazy. We want fast-food news, not gourmet dinners like terrorism, immigration and elections.
So, have a Double Lisa with cheese, a side of Naughty Nikki, a Paris shake and a Lindsay with whipped cream. I’ll bring the Alka Seltzer.
What do you want to see in the news?
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