American media have a strange freak-out over British Princess Kate Middleton's pregnancy
It’s going to be a long 28 weeks with the national media obsessing over a pregnant princess in Britain.
Despite winning independence from the British crown centuries ago, our national attention strangely gets placed on Royal watching.
Our founding fathers and mothers specifically did not want to give power to a genetic lineage.
George Washington rejected majestic titles, preferring “Mr. President,” and ended his political career after two terms to avoid even the hint of a monarchy.
Yet, news of a pregnant Princess Kate Middleton sent national American media into freak-out mode.
Network morning shows sent seasoned reporters to London, dedicating a ridiculous amount of air time to the announcement.
Questions included how bad morning sickness can get, when gender is determined in utero and how much weight she should gain.
The princess is not the first woman in history to have a child.
Any mother can answer those questions.
Then, anchors interviewed experts about how a person ascends to king or queen, how the first baby photos will be taken and what type of parenting will be used.
It was a solid 10 minutes of this before I turned the television off.
Yesterday, when news broke of Middleton’s condition, it was fourth on the Entertainment Weekly’s most viewed story list online.
It was less popular than the news brief about Tina Fey’s daughter playing a cameo of a young Liz Lemon in last week’s “30 Rock” episode.
And this is an organization dedicated to covering non-important news.
Perhaps this ill-placed journalism frenzy comes from the new phenomenon: The “Jersey Shore” effect.
It didn’t start with the trashy MTV reality show, but it best illustrates the principles.
From Paris Hilton and Kim Kardashian to the hillbilly Honey Boo Boo trainwreck of television, our society makes fame out of nothing.
This totally fits in with royal life.
Taxes supporting the British family are at about 41.5 million pounds, at least it was in 2008-09.
That doesn't include security and several other expenses.
Riches and celebrity are gained by birth, not by worth or work.
Kate Middleton definitely has more class, education and purpose than Jersey Shore's Snooki.
But the beast is the same, and shame on the U.S. national media for feeding it.
From a news standpoint, a possible heir to the British throne is worth noting, but it’s not worth this overkill.
It’s not fair to your public, and it’s not even fair to Middleton.
Bring your reporters home and focus on some more important news.
