5 Culture Stories More Important Than Baby KimYe
As everyone knows but few care about, Kim Kardashian gave birth to a baby girl over the weekend. Since then, the media has been in a frenzy to talk to anyone remotely related to the new mother or father, Kanye West.
Speculation on the girl’s name has been rampant, as well as suspicion due to the baby’s arrival five weeks prior to her due date.
As riveting as all of this is, some of us are craving more “sophisticated” stories. Let’s see what else happened in culture this week.
1. A 3-Year-Old Deaf Boy Can Now Hear
If you are highly anticipating getting a first glimpse of baby Kimye, enjoy watching this adorable kid’s story to tide you over. Grayson Clamp from Charlotte, N.C., is the first person in the United States to receive an “auditory brain stem implant.” Born completely deaf, Grayson can now hear, and his reaction to hearing his dad’s voice for the first time is beautiful and inspiring. Isn’t technology amazing?
2. Fox Does Not Approve Of FCC Rules
Ever look at today’s TV landscape and wonder how we ended up with so many awful reality shows that spawn “celebrities” whose birth stories we are supposed to care about? Fox Television, creator of many of these shows, is pushing for laxer FCC (“Federal Communications Commission”) rules that could either harm or benefit the quality of TV these days, depending on your outlook. The network presented its argument in 42 pages, which you can read here. To summarize, they believe the ever-changing television environment should lead to a change in FCC guidelines that protects a network’s First Amendment rights to freedom of expression, including just the bare minimum of program policing. In fact, Fox wants the FCC to completely forgo “regulation of isolated or fleeting curse words or nudity” and any rules about innuendos. Look out, Glee — you’re about to get a whole lot crazier.
3. Cops Catch Gang Via Facebook Photos
Oversharing — which Kim Kardashian is bound to indulge in once she settles in with her newborn — can be annoying, but it also can get you in trouble. The Bronx gang “6 Wild” has been charged with a plethora of crimes after celebrating their heists on Facebook. The group posted tons of photos of giant piles of cash, even posting one picture that spells out their gang name “Wild” in bills. Ah, Facebook — the one-stop shop for stupidity telling the world things that should be kept private.
4. Paula Deen Admits to Using the N-Word
If you find yourself in need of proof that celebrities worse than the Karashians exist, look no further. In her deposition for a discrimination lawsuit, celebrity chef and butter-lover Paula Deen answered “Yes, of course” to questions of her use of the N-word. Though she argues that she does not condone the word’s use in any “cruel or mean” manner, she freely confessed to using the racial slur to describe a black mugger, as well as black employees in her restaurant. Though Deen’s 60s southern upbringing makes understanding her act easier, it does not shield her from our disapproval.
5. Actor James Gandolfini Died
Instead of celebrating the spawn of a reality show “star” and her beau, let’s celebrate the life and mourn the passing of The Sopranos actor James Gandolfini at the young age of 51. Many people, from his costars to the now-famous restaurant that housed The Sopranos’ final scene, have made heartfelt tributes to him that are much more worthy of your time than looking at pictures of Kim’s sisters and mom getting froyo. If you’re not in a reading mood, watch Gandolfini’s episode of Inside the Actor’s Studio, which is said to show his true mastery of his craft.
