The Terri Schiavo saga crossed the line from media circus into the theater of the absurd recently, when John Edward , a self-proclaimed psychic and former TV show host, addressed the Schiavo controversy on the March 24 edition of "Fox & Friends" on the FOX News Channel. When asked if he could communicate with Terri Schiavo, Edward responded that "she's clear on what's going - and I can tell you that she's definitely clear on what's happening now around her."
Funny, however, that he didn't bother to tell us whether or not Terri wanted to have her feeding tube restored. By sharing that info with the world, Terri's psychic friend could have put the whole controversy to rest.
FOX News markets itself as being "fair and balanced" - yet it stooped to the sensationalist exploitation of a helpless, brain-damaged woman to get ratings. And, sadly, the tactic worked, as millions of Americans gathered around the water cooler to discuss with great excitement how John Edward communicated with Terri Schiavo.
Are Americans so bored with their own lives that they couldn't resist getting swept up in the hype of the Schiavo case as if their own lives depended on it?
Are they so gullible and complacent that they would allow the hype to overshadow all the tragedies in the world that really do affect them personally?
Does Terri Schiavo really mean more to them than the soldiers dying in Iraq, the millions unemployed, the threats to Social Security and Medicaid, and the record-level budget deficit?
And are they so really so ignorant as to believe that John Edward, who has been exposed as a fraud by James Randi and other professional debunkers, really knew what Terri was thinking (or that she was thinking at all)?
John Edward uses some centuries-old carnival techniques to con the public into believing that he can communicate with the dearly departed. And he's gotten rich from it.
The most disgusting part of it is that he has made his fortune by taking advantage of people who are at their most vulnerable - grieving family members who desperately want to feel a connection to their lost loved one. And now he has gained some new PR for himself by exploiting the already over- exploited Terri Schiavo.
John Edward should be ashamed. But he is not.
The American public should be ashamed. But they are not.
Most of all, the media should be ashamed. But they are not.
We get what we deserve. Heaven help us all.
