That said, the Associated Press has put out a new style sheet for reports which, among other more important things, codified how to write about Twitter. Apparently to tweet and to twitter are both acceptable verb forms. Now I'm just waiting for the MLA to come to a consensus on how to cite to a tweet in an academic or research paper.
But while trying to resuscitate my twitter account I saw in the list of "popular topics" -- and by popular they mean right now! -- Chastity Bono. Who? You can tell how old I am when I hear "Bono" and think U2 not Sonny and Cher. Apparently she is the child of the later pair who had (has?) an attempted music career which earned her enough status to make the D-list and go on "Celebrity Fit Club" where she supposedly "endeared herself to the public." I'll take their word on it; I never watched.
Turns out she's having a sex change operation -- gender reassignment to be P.C. -- and that's why she's a hot twitter topic. I don't really think this is news worthy but the writing in this short article is:
Chastity Bono will become a man
Posted: June 11, 2009, 5:34 PM by Adam McDowell
Chastity Bono, who now goes by the name Chaz and is best known as the daughter — er, son — of Cher and the late Sonny Bono, will undergo a sex change operation, reports TMZ.com. As Bono will be the first (marginally) famous person to make such a transition, expect much media hoopla to ensue, including speculation about whether this will change public perceptions about transgendered people. Also, expect stupid jokes.
Isn't that it? Isn't that why we care? Because we think the media will care? Or the media will attempt to make us think we care. Or they're just run so much coverage and commentary that we either do care, we formulate opinions that are really just parroting the reporters, or we get so sick of it we never want to talk about gender reassignment ever again.
All though the expect stupid jokes part is right on. Can't everyone just read Adam McDowell's short article (and yes, I reposted it in its entirety) and move on with their lives. Just acknowledge the eventual hoopla and bad jokes without engaging in either? That would be great. Thanks.
The same thing is making me angsty about the "Jon & Kate Plus 8" saga ... and we so are getting into saga territory. Leave well enough alone. In front of me at the register at Target two women were agreeing that they were almost certainly going to get divorced. I wanted to smack my forehead. Obviously, Americans viewing a couple only through highly filtered, highly edited interviews on television (and let's not forget the tabloid reports and media speculation) can determine what their next move will be. Me? I think they'll stay together out of sheer economic necessity. A middle class American family of that size cannot economically survive a divorce (or a loss of high grossing TV show).
But whatever, it's all pop culture now. And at least now, for all my clicking around following various links and searches, I know what jumping the shark means.
