When contemplating nearly impossible feats, hacking the CIA database and successfully outwitting the Secret Service may come to mind. Recently however, the latter has been accomplished by the least likely of individuals: “socialites.” Tareq and Michaele Salahi astonishingly managed to get into the president’s first state dinner without being on the guest list. Whether it was due to miscommunication within the Secret Service or to the Salahi’s being extremely convincing, Tareq and Michaele successfully outfoxed the Secret Service and “crashed” the state dinner. Following the debacle at the state dinner and the ensuing media coverage, most of the blame has been put on the Secret Service for allowing people who were not on the guest list to get into the dinner with relative ease. While I acknowledge that blame must be put on the Secret Service for allowing this instance to occur, the individuals involved and our society should be seen as the main causes of the situation. These so called “socialites” went to perhaps the furthest extreme to simply get attention. It is pathetic that people will go to such extreme lengths to have their names recognized and to socialize with the “right” people. Unfortunately, our society is the creator of such people. Americans laud celebrities and fame, so is it any surprise that people will do anything for notoriety? Televisions shows like “Real Housewives of Orange Country,” provide “socialites” with the attention they so desperately seek, and quite frankly it is despicable. The Salahi’s should be embarrassed about their pathetic actions. Regrettably, the White House and the Secret Service now has to face the same embarrassment, whether justified or not.
Daniel Benckart
CLAS III
12
February
2012
February
2012
Famoulsy Pathetic
on December 3, 2009
What those kinds of folks reveal to the public is their pathological narcissism and the emptyness of their materialistic lives which the American Culture supports, encourages, approves and rewards. The American middle class is supposedly shrinking, while the lower class is growing along with the financial upper class. Having money appears to be a genuine burden for those not born to wealth. Money is not class and certainly doesnot define class to me. There are many other qualities other than materialism that truely define class and distinction. Unfortunately popular American culture does not uphold these other virtues. It is appaling to me to become aware of the salaries paid to sports figures, entertainment figures such as movie stars, musicians, recording artists, actors, anchor men and women, tv personalities and so on compared to salaries paid to scientists in all fields, researchers in all fields, medical researchers in all fields of health research, inventors of valuable and important inventions for the benefit of human kind, especially gifted mentors and teachers of all levels of education. These are the folks that should receive public notice for their valuable contributions to the advancement of humanity. How is it that the President of a university can earn more than a million dollars a year which is much greater than the President of the United States earns or a Supreme Court Justice, or a member of Congress earns? It seems to me that the American Value System needs a real examination and overhaul to reward thoses the most who contribute the most value to societys welfare and advancement. I rest my case.
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