Monthly Archives: September 2014

While reading Blogging as Social Action: A Genre Analysis by Carolyn R. Miller and Dawn Shepard, I was struck by the interconnectedness of blogs, reality television, and the concepts of public and private information. While referencing the Bill Clinton and Monica Lewinsky scandal that went public in January of ’98, as well as the death of Diana Princess of Whales in August of ’97, Miller and Shepard make note of a “cultural trend in the 1990’s, a weakening boundary between the public and the private and the expansion of celebrity culture to politics and beyond.” (p4).

I remember in 1994 at the age of 7, seeing my Nanny glued to the T.V. set. Along with tens of thousands of viewers across North America, they seemed hypnotized by the infamous televised O.J. Simpson murder trial. O.J. Simpson was a famous professional athlete, actor in the well-known ‘Top Gun’ movies, as well as a charismatic NFL sports broadcaster. He was a hero to the Nation and also on trial of the murders of his wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and waiter Ronald Lyle Goldman.

As Miller and Shepard put it, “American culture became obsessed with both making celebrities into regular people (as with Clinton) and making regular people into celebrities (as with Lewinsky)” (p.4). During the famous Ford Bronco chase seen here (34:57-35:31), cop cars, even helicopters following closely behind while documenting first hand the exact “obsessed” viewer that was referenced by Miller and Shepard. “This became televisions first reality show” as said here (2:56-3:00) by the narrator of Dateline.

Fast forward twenty years to the reality television era of today where Chris Jenner is more famous than ever. Jenner, who seen in the above mentioned Dateline story (00:04-00:09) multiple times discussing her relationships with the victim Nicole Brown Simpson (her best friend), the accused, and Jenner’s ex-husband, Robert Kardashian (lawyer of the accused). Today she can be seen with her family on the extremely popular reality show Keeping Up With The Kardashians.

So I find myself at the realization that O.J. Simpson did start the first reality T.V. show and potentially financed one of the most popular ones on air today. In another twenty years, will celebrities still be flirting with the line between public and private to capture an audience? And will that audience still be captivated?

Sources:

Dateline: The People vs. O.J. Simpson What The Jury Never Heard,  published on Youtube by John Charmed 2 (July 4th,2014) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MbKgEU8uqP0

Keeping Up With The Kardashians http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1086761 

For the past two weeks I’ve been trying to pinpoint an example of someone I’ve personally been inspired by that represents the overall idea of a Global Citizen. Someone who is courageous enough to challenge difficult realities and ambitious enough to implement solutions on both local, and international scales. For me, an embodiment of this description is Dr. Sheri Speede.

(A motivational saying found laminated inside the outhouse at the Sanaga-Yong Chimpanzee Rescue Center)

In 1998, Dr. Sheri Speede moved to the Mbargue forest in Cameroon to honor a promise she made to one group of chimpanzees that were being held in horrid conditions. With the vision of keeping “great apes safe and thriving in their natural habitats”, a lush, natural forest over two square kilometers in size became the site of the Sanaga-Yong Chimpanzee Rescue Center.

Fast forward to today and you’ll see how Sanaga-Yong is a driving positive economic force in the small surrounding villages where fresh local produce is bought weekly by the truckload from local farmers. It is also a stable and reliable employment opportunity for approximately 25 locals who otherwise would have limited, if any other viable economic option. On top these excellent, contributions local economy,  Sanaga-Yong is now home to seventy-two chimpanzees, victims of the illegal bushmeat trade. Their mothers likely killed by hunters to sell the meat illegally, the infant chimps can then be sold for a profit as pets. Although this is also illegal, it is still an all too common occurrence.

Over the course of fifteen years, the continuous efforts locally and internationally through the education facility at the Recue Center, fundraising events in the United States, and a book tours of her life narrative Kindred Beings, Dr. Speede and her team of dedicated staff have still not been completely successful. Sanaga-Yong still receives new chimps; mainly babies.

I find myself wondering if there ever come a time when we no longer need rescue centers for them? With all of Dr. Speede’s hardwork and dedication, what else can be done for the chimpanzees of Cameroon?

IDA-Africa Website (2013) Our Vision retrieved from

http://www.ida-africa.org/our-mission_349.html

Dana Vion (10 September 2008) Sanaga-Yong Chimpanzee Rescue Video Center. Retrieved from