Well, Kimberly Howe was a 69 year old woman who lived in Calabasas and was driving the PCH this week when her car was rear ended and she was pushed into oncoming traffic where a hummer slammed into her car and ended her life.
Any of this ringing a bell?
Oh, I apologize. Maybe I should have asked if you know about the Bruce Jenner Accident.
There, now I see you all nodding in affirmation about that. Yes, how stupid of me to talk about the victim of the accident and not talk about how Bruce Jenner was in an accident, especially at this very precarious time in his life where tabloid fodder has made mention more times than I can count that he might be "transitioning" into a new role gender wise.
Talk about completely misrepresenting a story and what is truly important and that is a person has died and that three others, children nonetheless, were injured in what is being dubbed "The Bruce Jenner Accident". How about Bruce is mentioned as having a hand in this issue, but then tone down the story because it is, after all, a story of tragedy and loss, more so than anything else.
Yet this accident has become more tabloid sensationalism, an article to get clicks, to feed a celebrity obsessed culture who I doubt bothered to think of the victims if only to use it as context into something that happened to Bruce Jenner and then the victims fade into the background; afterthoughts to more pressing issues, which is that Bruce Jenner, reality star, step-father to three other reality stars, and who might be on a "journey" to become another sex.
This is just another case of celebrity focus trumping the victim. Ever since the OJ trial where the victims of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman were just a plot device, a mere afterthought to the fame and celebrity that was OJ Simpson and his murder trial. And after the media saw how us, the viewers, ate it up and could not get enough of tragedy involving a celebrity, the media has made it a point to shine the lights brightest on society's upper echelon when reporting grave situations involving stars.
And even when a celebrity, like Phil Spector, is found guilty, the celebrity still dominates the headlines and the victim, well, it might as well be "What victim?" All the coverage in the world never makes mention of them and their life and how this tragedy has created a ripple effect for their family and friends. Instead, the finger on the pulse maintains that the true story is not about life, the true story is about celebrity and our cultural need to know it, consume sit, revel in it.
Not once in looking though article, after article, after article, after article, did I see much about the victim. Instead, I read about Bruce, Bruce's suffering, Bruce's Pain, Bruce running from the paparazzi, Bruce texting while driving, Bruce is lucky he drove an escalade.
But what about the victim's of what Bruce did? Any mention of them other than a small blurb saying they were hurt and one person, a woman, was dead? Nope.
The social hierarchy wins out when we discuss any event because famous people move the needle and the rest of us mere mortals are just sacrifices to their alter.
And not only is that sad, but it is wrong. As a society we should not devolve into mindless, star gazing fanatics; more concerned with the well being of celebrity than to the more important aspect of life itself. And life is bypassed in this case because our society gravitates more toward star status consumption due to its immediacy, its quickness and immediate disposability, and that we can make jokes and comments that degrade Bruce, all in good fun, but really is more of a slap at how little sensitivity and value we have placed on those who were truly affected by this incident. And when the media is not giving the victims any thought then why would the rest of society? We are, after all, just taking our cues from what we see and hear on our nightly newscast, our Facebook and twitter feed, and web home pages. So what if we don't know Kim Howe or any of the other victims. They were not famous so what is the big deal?
The big deal is that the tragic events of this weekend is microcosm of a greater societal problem where many regular, not famous at all, run of the mill citizens get lost in someone else's story. They fall victim to celebrity adulation, becoming just a faceless, nameless, cog in our social hierarchy buzz that focuses on ratings and drawing people in, but does not pay the respect due to those who are the true victim of a crime.
This is not "The Bruce Jenner Accident". This is the death of Kim Howe. A 69 year old woman who met her end too soon, who had family, friends, and others who will miss her. People who will never get to say goodbye and who will never see a person they cared about again.
Kim Howe deserves more than to be a minor character in Bruce Jenner's continuing reality series. She was the victim here.
Kim Howe's story should be front and center on this stage. And that it is not is the real crime.
