So I see on the news that they have positively identified the bones of Caylee Anthony.
I'm not surprised. I am saddened, of course. I mean, what sane person doesn't find this whole story depressing?
What depresses me more, though, is all the missing kids we don't hear about. Is Caylee Anthony the only kid to have gone missing in the last six months? Unfortunately, no.
But she's probably the only cute little white girl with an attractive single mom to have gone missing in the last six months. Sure, I'd like to think that the only reason the media has been all over this story is that Casey Anthony is a compelling villain, but it's not true. Caylee was adorable. And white.
Jennifer Hudson's missing (black) nephew didn't garner as much coverage as Caylee has.
And I'm not saying that there shouldn't have been so much about Caylee. But over 2000 children go missing EVERY DAY. And roughly 2000 children are murdered by their parents or caretakers every year. So the story of Caylee Anthony is not some weird anomaly that deserves media obsession to the exclusion of stories about all the other missing and murdered kids.
When was the last time you saw a news frenzy about a missing child with dark skin? Excluding Jennifer Hudson's nephew, the last one I can remember occurred when I lived in Kansas City. In that case, it was a story about how they found the remains of a little African-American girl. . . and were hoping someone would identify her. Because the media obviously didn't pick up the story when she went missing.
The other thing that ticked me off during this news story - and during that long ago Kansas City story - was the pile of bears and toys placed near the sites. Not that I begrudge honoring the dead. . .but where were all these caring people when these children were being neglected and abused while they were alive? Were they calling the department of children and family services? Were they offering to baby-sit? Were they giving bears and toys to the family or other needy families? Were they helping the stressed out parents around them?
Maybe they were. But while teaching I saw so many people afraid to get involved. . .often until it was too late. Some of those people were actually grandparents. Which brings me back to Caylee. I think
I blame her grandparents almost as much as I blame her mother.
10 comments:
Amen! To all of it.
The grandparents are just as guilty - I agree!
My area is surprisingly evenhanded in its coverage of missing children ...but then, car crashes generate 15 minutes of footage for a half hour newscast. Most things don't make it to the national level, though, because no one cares that psycho dad took the kids to piss off /punish codependent mom.
We get annual coverage of the continued search (5 years, now, I think) for a disabled and ill boy (who is/was black), even though everyone is 99% certain that his father killed him. I don't have much use for the news services in general, but our middle American channels do a decent job on any missing children.
That is so depressing and true. Lord, that makes me so sad.
I liked your suggestion best- that people could have helped out while she was alive. There are more ways to help single moms (of any color) than by making "one phone call". Sadly, CPS DOES get those "one phone calls"- ALL THE TIME. They are overloaded, overworked, and underpaid. We need to be more supportive of children being at HOME with their parents- which means stepping up as a society and helping those that need help BEFORE it is too late. That's another rant...
The grandparents should be charged, most certainly- I don't understand how the Mom ended up back at home with them when she was out on bail. What kind of family were these people?
The news coverage of pretty white children will stop when we stop buying it. Right. Well, in a perfect world, anyway.
I actually watched one of those hour-long shows on this last night (something cheery while finishing my holiday gifts for colleagues... not) and I think there were parts of this story earlier on that I missed because I simply could not hear about an adorable missing toddler. I hope the news story was accurate, but I do now think that her parents should be charged as an accessory or something, because they just knew something terrible had happened. (And they could probably devote an entire cable channel with 24 hour coverage to the issues around abused, neglected, and murdered kids of all colors. Not sure who'd be able to stomach that, but it would sure get the word out)
Jen - Thank you!
33Tekfan - How could they not know?
a - Well, at least it's fair somewhere.
Simone - I've done it a number of times. I'm glad yours had a good outcome.
Becky - Me too.
Jess - Excellent points. It also depends where the CPS office is - some offices are much more together and funded than others, which goes directly to the care of children.
Lisa - I kinda of like your channel idea, not that I would actually watch it unless I was already depressed.
The coverage on this case is so sad ! What makes one child so important and others grossly overlooked ? Well...we all know the answer; white family, sexual acting out by Mommy, cop in the family...and not. to mention the very odd sub story; the Kronk confessions ! What's the "whole story" Guilt ? This entire family knew exactly what was going on and all of them conspired to cover it up! And then there's Nancy Grace, the white lawyer w/ new babies of her own, crying over the outrage that anyone suggests this mom might not by guilty??? Where does the fairness of journalistic fairness go when you give a lawyer a microphone and air time ??? Nancy Grace, if you want to do the community a favor, go back to the court room and step down from the mommy pulpit!!! Let's get a real journalist in there giving ALL child victims equal air time and no Bitching at all the other scum sucking attorneys (her shows guests) screaming for a moment on the air to boost their private practice !!!
The coverage on this case is so sad ! What makes one child so important and others grossly overlooked ? Well...we all know the answer; white family, sexual acting out by Mommy, cop in the family...and not. to mention the very odd sub story; the Kronk confessions ! What's the "whole story" Guilt ? This entire family knew exactly what was going on and all of them conspired to cover it up! And then there's Nancy Grace, the white lawyer w/ new babies of her own, crying over the outrage that anyone suggests this mom might not by guilty??? Where does the fairness of journalistic fairness go when you give a lawyer a microphone and air time ??? Nancy Grace, if you want to do the community a favor, go back to the court room and step down from the mommy pulpit!!! Let's get a real journalist in there giving ALL child victims equal air time and no Bitching at all the other scum sucking attorneys (her shows guests) screaming for a moment on the air to boost their private practice !!!
The grandparents are just as guilty - I agree!
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