JonBenet: A Commentary

Soak it up, as soon as another blonde blue eyed girl goes missing somewhere, THAT will be the only news available 24/7. Sad but true. I agree it should certainly be reported, but this is crazy.

BUt think of how many other kids have been raped and abused since the cops missed it 10 years ago and assumed it was the parents. at least he can't hurt anyone anymore. what a freak! his eyes scare the sh** out of me!

He's scary that's for sure. I'm still not convinced he's the killer. He may just be after exactly what he's getting from the media, attention. Alot of his story doesn't make sense. He may well be guilty,and I hope so, but I want to see what the DNA tests say.

I guess it was the freak show aspect of this story- at least it was a freak show to me. Parents who pile makeup on a child not much older than my daughter, make her prance around on stages, and basically throw her to the predatory wolves have some real parenting issues and they were a People magazine wet dream. That poor little girl's life before this tragedy totally disgusted me.

I just shake my head when I think of the recent popularity of girls' activities like these pageants and and now, the "dance team". Dance team is a perfect example (actually cheerleading too lately). If your daughter is going to wear clothes that look like a stripper's, dance like a pole dancer, and generally look old beyond her years, then nobody should be very surprised when she attracts "unwanted" attention. What kind of attention do you really think she should be getting? Recruitment to Bible school?? Let's start the hot babysitter jokes now.

We went to a 6th grade open house when Will started middle school. The "dance team" was part of the floor show. Sixth, seventh and eight grades girls in spandex hot pants, tight tank tops, bare midriffs, all well endowed. We were laughing (albeit ruefully) with some other parents of boys- how are we supposed to tell our boys not to "touch that"? My God- these girls have practically put themselves on a platter. The cheerleading routines aren't any better- yuck. What a mixed message we send our kids about sex.:shock:

some very good and insightful points there Mr 30gay man.

just how does the media decide to zero in on certain horrible cases (JonBenet, Natalie/Aruba, etc) when there are so many such incidents around the world just as sad and terrible... folks just flock to it. now, OJ - that was a good all around scandal that was well-deserving of all the media hype... :roll: :roll: :roll:

I guess it was the freak show aspect of this story- at least it was a freak show to me. Parents who pile makeup on a child not much older than my daughter, make her prance around on stages, and basically throw her to the predatory wolves have some real parenting issues and they were a People magazine wet dream. That poor little girl's life before this tragedy totally disgusted me.

I just shake my head when I think of the recent popularity of girls' activities like these pageants and and now, the "dance team". Dance team is a perfect example (actually cheerleading too lately). If your daughter is going to wear clothes that look like a stripper's, dance like a pole dancer, and generally look old beyond her years, then nobody should be very surprised when she attracts "unwanted" attention. What kind of attention do you really think she should be getting? Recruitment to Bible school?? Let's start the hot babysitter jokes now.

We went to a 6th grade open house when Will started middle school. The "dance team" was part of the floor show. Sixth, seventh and eight grades girls in spandex hot pants, tight tank tops, bare midriffs, all well endowed. We were laughing (albeit ruefully) with some other parents of boys- how are we supposed to tell our boys not to "touch that"? My God- these girls have practically put themselves on a platter. The cheerleading routines aren't any better- yuck. What a mixed message we send our kids about sex.:shock:

Patricia Ramsey was Miss West Virginia in 1977. I don't think your views about her mother are valid.

Patricia Ramsey was Miss West Virginia in 1977. I don't think your views about her mother are valid.

I'm confused Bob- are you being funny? Or are you making the point that JonBenet didn't have a chance to NOT be an exploited pageant child because it was a family pattern??

There has always been a beauty pageant culture, and there have always been stage mothers.
But the sexualizing of very young girls is relatively new.
(We won't go into forced prostitution, that's a whole other category.)

It is partly marketing in our jaded,consumer-driven, indulged society--I mean, when 9 year hollaback girl wannabes are buying thong underwear, maybe it's time to stop and take a deep breath (and take a break from MTV or 'Desperate Housewives.' Better yet, simply turn off the TV.)

Back when the JonBenet murder happened, the media frenzy that came along with it did produce an outraged backlash. People protested that violence to children happens *every single day* while in the media, it was all JonBenet all the time.
Some of you might remember Girl X, the young housing project girl in Chicago. On Jan 9, 1997, she was raped, beaten and poisoned. She survived her brutal attack but is blind and paralyzed. Her plight did not receive the breathless national attention that a murdered beauty queen in Boulder, Colorado did.

America has a short attention span. No doubt the exploitation of JonBenet's mysterious story sells a lot of advertising.
The media, sad to say, give us what we want.

Me, I am following the pull-out in Lebanon and scratching my head over the President of Iran's blog. I will certainly be paying attention to the upcoming elections and the recent terrorist arrests.

But I also will likely be checking out the latest installment of the Ramsey case.

I'm confused Bob- are you being funny? Or are you making the point that JonBenet didn't have a chance to NOT be an exploited pageant child because it was a family pattern??

Just a late night thought. The whole five and dime pschychobabble about pageant abuse was used as a justification to make the Ramseys guilty in the public eye when law enforcement failed in their task to find the perpetrator. The Ramseys did not deserve what came of losing their daughter or their reputations. The Ramseys were normal, above average, people. Mrs. Ramsey was obviously a beautiful woman who had success in the paegent venue, and thought her daughter could do the same. This, in my mind, is no more abusive than any parent involving any child in a sport or activity. I'm tired of the talk of exploitation/sexuality linkage. This is what society does in the America. It's what we are good at, either at work or watching Oprah/Dr. Phil at home. I think the thread with the longest legs on this message board may have been about the penis cake[very funny!] If you want to rant about abuse, look at those poor, robotic girls deprived of a childhood in gymnastics competition. The Ramsey case is huge because the family and victim were white, wealthy, and pretty. All the extrapolation from the crime forward is, in the words of George Carlin, "sick American s--t".

I agree that the Ramseys did not deserve to lose a child- nobody does. I guess I am super-sensitive about this because I have a little blond blue eyed daughter. Who loves Barbie, cheerleading, "belly" shirts, and makeup (thanks to most toys marketed to little girls). She also like getting dirty, animals (furry and slimy), and would be happy if her hair went uncombed for a week. It is my job to make sure she gravitates to the getting dirty/animal part so that she can have a childhood. It is also my job to make sure that she doesn't burn out her little body or mind at a young age from "over sporting" or being exposed to too much competition, whether looks, academics, or sports, at too young of an age. And in my opinion, elementary school just may be too young for the intensity of so many programs that kids are involved in these days.

Speaking of gymnastics- Kate is in a little fun tumbling class now, and one of the teachers said that she is coordinated and should be in the advanced 4-6 year old gymnastics class. Please. She is 4. But 3 other mothers started salivating and jumped on the chance to feed their own egos (and their Olympic dream) and put their girls in the advanced class. Suckers. I think alot of what kids do these days is to fulfill wishes and dreams of their parents. As for us, I think it may be time to teach her tennis or some other "life sport"- something she can do as an adult, since gymnastics and beauty pageants probably won't be happening for her when she is 40!

I do think that when Patsy Ramsey was growing up, the pageant culture was totally different than now. They didn't have to worry about perverts stalking little girls on the Internet, etc.

jdarg :clap_1: I want MY little Kate to be raised just like yours.

jdarg :clap_1: I want MY little Kate to be raised just like yours.

No you really don't. Unless you want her to be the burp/toot champion of her class AND her older brother's friends. We aren't girly girls around here by a long shot!

I hear you jdarg. We still talk around here about the number of agents that would stop Sara and ask her to model for them. The best one was in the Home Depot. Sketched me out, but when we checked the business cards, they were legit. I have no stage mom blood in me, but so many fall in that trap thinking it is a compliment to them as much as to their child.

No you really don't. Unless you want her to be the burp/toot champion of her class AND her older brother's friends. We aren't girly girls around here by a long shot!

I don't like it I love it. Mine will not be allowed to have anything that says "princess" on it. :roll: :nono1:

heh
I'd be less worried about a Princess label than I would Porn Star.
Shock value these days makes the bra-less 70's look like goody two-shoes.

heh
I'd be less worried about a Princess label than I would Porn Star.
Shock value these days makes the bra-less 70's look like goody two-shoes.

See, I just don't think it's a very big leap from one to the other. There's too much emphasis on looks in this society. Parents don't need to add to that -- they need to be providing other things instead -- but I see them do it all the time. It's worrisome.

Good commentary 30gAy. Do you think that now that jonbenet's killer is caught, that we will pull out of Iraq, capture or forgive Bin Laden, build some autos which run on renuable fuel sources, and stop the green house gases from destroying the ozone layer, which in turn means no more Hurricanes? I think you may be on to something here.

Oh, I just remembered, we already forgot about Bin Laden. It was Iraq who crashed those planes, right?

BTW, whatever became of the girl who is still missing from, was it Bermuda? She was the other story of the last 10 years.

See, I just don't think it's a very big leap from one to the other. There's too much emphasis on looks in this society. Parents don't need to add to that -- they need to be providing other things instead -- but I see them do it all the time. It's worrisome.

so TRUE...

heh
I'd be less worried about a Princess label than I would Porn Star.
Shock value these days makes the bra-less 70's look like goody two-shoes.

also so TRUE...

(practicing my multi-quoting skill)

I agree that the Ramseys did not deserve to lose a child- nobody does. I guess I am super-sensitive about this because I have a little blond blue eyed daughter. Who loves Barbie, cheerleading, "belly" shirts, and makeup (thanks to most toys marketed to little girls). She also like getting dirty, animals (furry and slimy), and would be happy if her hair went uncombed for a week. It is my job to make sure she gravitates to the getting dirty/animal part so that she can have a childhood. It is also my job to make sure that she doesn't burn out her little body or mind at a young age from "over sporting" or being exposed to too much competition, whether looks, academics, or sports, at too young of an age. And in my opinion, elementary school just may be too young for the intensity of so many programs that kids are involved in these days.

Speaking of gymnastics- Kate is in a little fun tumbling class now, and one of the teachers said that she is coordinated and should be in the advanced 4-6 year old gymnastics class. Please. She is 4. But 3 other mothers started salivating and jumped on the chance to feed their own egos (and their Olympic dream) and put their girls in the advanced class. Suckers. I think alot of what kids do these days is to fulfill wishes and dreams of their parents. As for us, I think it may be time to teach her tennis or some other "life sport"- something she can do as an adult, since gymnastics and beauty pageants probably won't be happening for her when she is 40!

I do think that when Patsy Ramsey was growing up, the pageant culture was totally different than now. They didn't have to worry about perverts stalking little girls on the Internet, etc.

I see your point there. My daughters are teenagers now.

so TRUE...



also so TRUE...

(practicing my multi-quoting skill)

Multi-quoting- Wow- is this is new advantage to the update? Or is this a cool new skill?? I want to do this!!

TooFar, your point is well-taken.
I guess maybe my idea of 'princess' was a bit different (and probably more than a little old-fashioned).
Remember in 1995's cinematic version of "A Little Princess," (directed by Alfonso Cuaron) when Sara declares that "every girl everywhere is a princess!"
I don't think she meant that every girl has to be an indulged brat with an automatic [inbred?] sense of entitlement.
I think the theme is more that every girl should (and can) be strong, have respect for herself, friendship with other girls, as well as that magical hope for her future.
I know, I know.
It's just that when I go to the music store and see Porn Star stickers, I can't help but remember the bygone days.
::waves magic wand::
Tiaras for everyone!

::waves magic wand::
Tiaras for everyone!

Including 30-gAy. ;-)

No you really don't. Unless you want her to be the burp/toot champion of her class AND her older brother's friends. We aren't girly girls around here by a long shot!

For example: she likes to watch "Family Guy" with my friends and I for hours on end.

For example: she likes to watch "Family Guy" with my friends and I for hours on end.

Just so y'all know, Darg Vader just got chewed out for SoWalling without parental permission. We were painting, and thought he was doing homework, not airing the Darg dirty family secrets.;-) So he's grounded from SoWal until further notice.