The other day when I turned on my computer and loaded my Yahoo page, it read, in bold letters: “Bruce Jenner Gender Change Captures US Attention.”
Capture (v.) 1. to take captive; seize or catch by force or craft. 2. to win possession or control of, as in a contest. 3. to succeed in preserving in a permanent form: capture a likeness in a painting.
Really? Maybe I’m being a little picky but, throughout my legal career and even now, I’m very careful about the words I use and if this is what “captures” America’s attention, we’re all in trouble.
Anyone who wasn’t blind waiting on a grocery line in the past year has seen photos of Bruce Jenner’s changing appearance. His hairstyle alone plus the fact that he had a laryngeal shave last year gave it all away. If he was trying to keep his sex change a secret, I’d hate to entrust him with anything really important.
The fact that he’s now “coming out” and discussing it in People magazine is really no surprise to me. Where most people would consider this a private matter to be handled by them and their families, he clearly wants and loves the attention allowing his story to be tabloid fodder.
On the other hand, it hasn’t “captured” my attention. The story is about as interesting to me as when an actor makes an announcement that he’s gay. I have no interest in knowing with whom anyone is having sex. Maybe Mr. Jenner’s story would be mildly interesting if he was not part of the Kardashian litter. They’ve chosen to live incredibly public lives and have engaged in things ranging from despicable to disgusting and stupid that nothing surprises me anymore, and I certainly don’t sit on the edge of my seat waiting to find out about the next chapter in any of their lives.
What I do find sad is the fact that before he became the ex-Mr. Kris Kardashian or Kim’s ex-stepfather, Mr. Jenner won the gold medal in the decathlon at the 1976 Summer Olympics but has now been reduced to a media spectacle. But, again, that was his choice.
Unfortunately, he married into a family of publicity freaks and anything he has to say, whether it’s worthwhile or not or helpful to others, probably won’t be taken seriously. I’ll bet a lot of people will simply think this is another Kardashian publicity stunt – just like Kim’s 72-day marriage to Kris Humphries.
Over this past weekend, Bruce Jenner was in an awful car accident which left one woman dead. He claims he was fleeing from five paparazzi when his car rear-ended another car. Police have their doubts.
But if Mr. Jenner is correct and photographers were actually chasing him, why should that have caused him to drive recklessly? Why would someone who, since 1991, had been married to Kris Kardashian, the ultimate publicity whore, shy away from paparazzi at this point? Since 2007, he has starred in “Keeping Up With the Kardashians” and will now have his own “docuseries” (aka reality show) “chronicling his change from a man to a woman.” I would’ve thought he’d invite all the attention in order to get ratings for his show.
Like I said, if Yahoo is correct and this story is “capturing America’s attention,” we’re all in trouble. When I see the latest Jesse Watters’ video of young people who haven’t a clue who Bowe Bergdahl is, what the Taliban is, or haven’t the slightest idea what ISIS or Gitmo is, how can I expect any of them to responsibly vote for a new President next year? If I was going to bet, I’d say they won’t even know who’s running for President but they’ll know what Bruce Jenner’s new name will be.
I don’t get it, but if you do, God bless you.
