When Floyd Collins was trapped in the cave in 1925, the media did the same

[Ron Green]

thing they're doing now, which was to feed the frenzy of the masses for things they can make judgments about, things of which they're only dimly aware. It seems it's pretty much the same now: everybody's got an opinion, especially if they don't really see the big picture, which is that we're all given a circus and told it's important.

[punpirate]

1. I've been suggesting...

... that folks look for a copy of "The Big Carnival," the 1951 movie based on the Floyd Collins story, and compare it to what's happening now with the Schiavo case.

Not much difference, except that there are a lot more TV cameras and talking heads these days....

[Ron Green]

2. Yeah, it's really not even about the religion issue, so much as it is

about the spectacle. Another one was Baby Jessica down the well in ... what was it, the '80s?

[punpirate]

3. Yup...

... 1987.

Same thing.

1500-odd soldiers killed and who knows how many civilians killed in an illegal war, but that's far away, and in a place that the reporters don't want to go out into the streets, but give the public something they can have an opinion on, and work it for all its worth, and you've got a real spectacle.... *sigh*

[Kingshakabobo]

4. Great movie!

Now I'm trying to think of the line in the movie when he tells the girl something like: "I've seen some real hard eggs, but baby, you are three minutes" or something like that?

[punpirate]

5. I believe the line was...

"I've met some hard-boiled eggs in my time, but you, you're twenty minutes." :)

[Kingshakabobo]

6. Haha! That's it. Thanks! n/t