The Hi-Tech Lynching of Celebrities and Politicians :: Essays Papers

The Hi-Tech Lynching of Celebrities and PoliticiansLynching, which occurred most frequently in the southern states, resulted in the hanging, mutilation, and death of many blacks at the hands of a powerful white ruling class. While lynchings of this type have not occurred as frequently as in previous decades, it has morphed into a new form, a form that is arguably just as devastating. Instead of unjustly prosecuting blacks, this new form of lynching targets celebrities and politicians and media to accomplish what is commonly referred to as advanced lynching. The job of the media is to relay information to a general public.However, bias towards particular persons and issues as well as the desire to garner the most viewers, oft results in deceit and mis agency. Over time, the medias initial purpose and goal, to inform the masses, has been lost. In its place, a technology-based lynch mob has emerged, with the lives of celebrities and politicians at its mercy. An alleged late twen tieth-century disaster of high-tech lynching involved the case of politician, Clarence Thomas. Thomas, appointed to the Supreme Court by President George Bush in 1991, was at the center of media frenzy when legality professor, Anita Hill, accused Thomas of sexual harassment. It was Thomass word against Hill and though Thomas was confirmed as an associate Supreme Court justice, the perpetual implications of the scandal follow both him and Hill to this dayHi-tech lynching has even effected the King of Pop, Michael Jackson. The policemen of the electronic age have been involved in destroying the reputation of Jackson by playing video clips and interviews that mock his personal lifestyle (Koppersmith 1). Various networks feed on ratings, instead of the valued notions of morality. Michael Jacksons case has become the example of guilty until proven innocent, even though we, as American citizens claim to value due process and equal representation under the law.Black Panther party mem ber, Assata Shakur, is another instructive example of high-tech lynching. In 1973 police arrested Shakur, born JoAnne Chesimard, as an accomplice to the murder of a white state trooper. In her book, Assata An Autobiography, Shakur chronicles the way she was lynched by the media before the murder trial had even begun Evelyn had brought some newspaper clippings and it was obvious the press was trying to squeeze me, to make me seem like a monster.