On pole vaulters who live in fear
Thursday, 31 May 2007 | 1,594 readers so far
When Al Gore invented the Internet he should have known it would soon ruin the lives of countless young pole vaulters. Allison Stokke should sue Al Gore for destroying her sanity. Or maybe she should sue Eli Saslow, staff writer for the Washington Post, for perpetuating an environment of public discussion of all things Allison.
Stokke read on message boards that dozens of anonymous strangers had turned her picture into the background image on their computers. She felt violated. It was like becoming the victim of a crime, Stokke said. Her body had been stolen and turned into a public commodity, critiqued in fan forums devoted to everything from hip-hop to Hollywood.
The article the above quote was pulled from drones on and on about how Stokke now "locks her doors and tries not to leave the house," etc. ad nauseum. Give me a break. Allison Stokke is clearly incredibly physically fit. Is she really as mentally weak as the Washington Post insinuates? I’m dubious.
One of the most disturbing aspects of our modern mass media is the tendency of its content creators to perpetuate a state of fear and victimhood. They do so because those things sell. In the process of selling Americans fear and victimhood, they wear down our rationality. Why should Allison Stokke fear the sudden burst of publicity around her name? Americans have the attention span of gnats. If she can weather her 15 minutes of uncomfortable limelight, the storm will pass. It’s really not that big a deal, and Eli Saslow is a fool for having devoted so much time to such a minor event.
1 May 31st, 2007 at 11:30 am
Allison Stokke, Pole Vaulter by Hot Celebrity Photos says:
[...] On pole vaulters who live in fearWhen Al Gore invented the Internet he should have known it would soon ruin the lives of countless young pole vaulters. Allison Stokke should sue Al Gore for destroying her sanity. Or maybe she should sue Eli Saslow, staff writer for the … [...]
2 May 31st, 2007 at 11:38 am
The Truth Laid Bear says:
[...] hammer is also not just there for looks, since it goes hand-in-glove with the beavertaOn pole vaulters who live in fearthe will to exist2007-05-31 08:53:32When Al Gore invented the Internet he should have known it would [...]
3 June 1st, 2007 at 6:23 am
creepypervydouchbags says:
she may be an adult, but the girl is only hours away from still being a child. and her reaction to all the hubbub is actually not such a bad one- at least it didn’t go to her head. to quote (paraphrase) dane cook in employee of the month, “most 9’s and 10’s can’t even open doors for themselves…you’re different.”
quite frankly, if i were suddenly the background image on hundreds of thousands of creepy, pervy douchbags’ computers, i’d be a little disgusted myself…
4 June 1st, 2007 at 7:14 am
Trevor says:
Well let’s hope it never happens to you. I’m sure if it does you’ll deal with it. I was complaining about the article, not the pole vaulter.
5 June 3rd, 2007 at 1:49 am
matthew reese says:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B361KLb_PlI
6 April 14th, 2008 at 12:37 pm
Wikipedia Keeps Deleting the Allison Stokke's entry - Featured Headline says:
[...] Al Gore Ruining the Life of Young Pole Vaulters [...]