The possibilities are endless. I remember when certain public school districts were highlighting appearances from Rodney King. I don't remember how the students benefited from that, but it appeared very righteous at the time.

Watching the Today show doing their "Where's Waldo" version of hunting down Casey Anthony is completely frightening. Who in the Hell does NBC think they are?!!

Inciting people to find her is irresponsible at a minimum. How are these media people going to justify it if someone does locate her and a crazy person takes it upon themselves to end her life or maim her?

An eye for an eye is absolutely wrong, even if you think she did it, which was never proved.

This media feeding frenzy is JUST WRONG.

Rodney King was a would-be and ex-criminal who was the victim of excessive police force. I usually have a problem with victims being portrayed as heroes. Not because victims are necessarily good or bad, but because associating victimhood with heroism *automatically* seems antithetical.

Now, if they had Reginald Denny show up, then that would have been a case of a victim who turned hero (by forgiving his brutal attackers) and be somehow inspirational.

I never saw the point of Rodney King being much of anything. It left me wondering what the message was? That being subjected to a excessive beating was a bad thing?

Yeah, I got that. But so what?

I think NBC has been smarting ever since they lost Seinfeld and Friends.

Snooki-chasing has become almost as big a business as ambulance-chasing.

It'd be funny if it weren't the case that such gets huge ratings. Which means people watch it, and encourages them to do more.

To think of it, The National Enquirer used to be the butt of such jokes along with Geraldo (still have not forgiven him for those empty Capone vaults). NBC was good fun, source of somewhat responsible, if dull news. Today, Geraldo (still have not forgiven him for those empty Capone vaults) has a semi-serious news show, and NBC is in the gutter.

Or more likely, I am too old, and outside the coveted demographics who loves something else.

Glue factory, here I come?

Because our culture is increasingly unable to distinguish heroes from victims. Anointing the criticized as martyrs, glorifying athletes who stumble and fall more than those who have not fallen at all, because they were "man enough" to take a microphone and announce that they "screwed up" and journalists falling all over themselves to indulge in hagiography.
Same with politicians.

Oh, and hypocritically double standards based on perceived political or religious ideologies.

Also the chant ROD-NEY KING, ROD-NEY KING... seems to have a more lyrical quality to it than REG-I-NALD DEN-NY, REG-I-NALD DEN-NY.

And we waste teachable moments with beer summits at the White House.

There, I said it. I am on record denouncing beer-drinking as inappropriate under some circumstances.

But Cat V, nobody maligns Lindsay Lohan and gets away with it. I mean NOBODY! How dare you?

I agree to an extent; because some first time offenders stay first time offenders. Certainly Rodney King had a character problem, as OJ does, etc etc. The gates of prison are a revolving door for far too many.