Missing The Story

by tristero

This article was on the front page – the front page! – of the New York Times today:

It is a sign of the times when Sacha Taylor, a fixture on the charity circuit in this gala-happy city, digs out a 10-year-old dress to wear to a recent society party.

Or when Jennifer Riley, a corporate lawyer, starts patronizing restaurants that take coupons.

Or when Ethel Knox, the wife of a pediatrician, cleans out her home and her storage unit, gives away an old car to a needy friend and cancels the family Christmas. “I just feel so decadent with all the stuff I’ve got,” she explained.

In just the seven months since the stock market began to plummet, the recession has aimed its death ray not just at the credit market, the Dow and Detroit, but at the very ethos of conspicuous consumption. Even those with a regular income are reassessing their spending habits, perhaps for the long term. They are shopping their closets, downscaling their vacations and holding off on trading in their cars. If the race to have the latest fashions and gadgets was like an endless, ever-faster video game, then someone has pushed the reset button.

A “fixture on the charity circuit” wears a 10-year-old dress. Golly, that’s serious.

Now, I understand why this story was written. White people in the middle and upper classes like to read about themselves and assume everyone else in the world does, too. Besides, why should a reporter trouble her beautiful mind talking to strangers who literally are having problems putting food on the table? They might get angry and say something her bosses don’t deem fit to print. Better to just call up her pals and ask them to suggest possible subjects. Everyone saves time, effort, and money, and everyone’s happy.

Trouble is, it’s not the story. Because of the meltdown of the financial system on Republican George W. Bush’s watch, people will starve. That’s the real story, and the New York Times should be ashamed of itself for typing up and printing drivel like this.