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That is complete cool, flea, once again you take a hard subject and talk about it with complete grace and dignity.
I just sent a nastygram to MSNBC... I don't have a blog, but I write a mean complaint letter. Maybe if there is enough of a stink on the internet (and it's getting there - do a search), her story will get some attention. For now, my thoughts are with her family...
Thanks, flea, for bringing this to my attention. It's starting to get to the point that we have to turn to the bloggers for our news, because the networks only report what is important to them, not what is important to us...
Flea, every time I can't imagine being more in love with you...you update your blog.
I wish Lacy Petersen was busy raising her baby. I wish Natalee Holloway was doing her back-to-school shopping. And oh god yes, I want Latoyia Figueroa to come home safe. I want her to be alive, no matter what she's been through, because if she's alive, there's hope and there's healing. And her 7 year-old needs Mom to help with *her* back-to-school shopping, too.
Thank you for spreading the word. My remote li'l LJ is *so* not up to the task.
Nice Post. You've managed to put together exactly the sort of post you seem to have been aiming for.
I think most of the folks who've gotten on to this bandwagon have had good intentions, which is to say, most of us wouldn't want to project bad things on any of these missing people out there -- but most of us shrug at least a little when the coverage becomes part of the daily news cycle, regardless of new information, or the lack of it.
My pro-feminist instincts are why MWWotM is annoying to me. A news-media that over-focuses on any attractive woman and their plight and need to be saved, is reinforcing negative messages about the objectification and helplessness of women, compared to men. No I do not think any of these women "deserved it", but I still think obsession over their tragedies sends bad messages about women.
The racial issue is also depressing, but I think it's largely connected to trying to frame the missing women as attractive/the girl next door, and they don't believe they can do that with someone named Figuera. If they weren't judged largely on their attractiveness and how comfortable they are to men, race wouldn't be such a selecting factor.
"I understand the intent behind this is to point out the racism behind the manufactured press hysteria, but what actually happens is this: black, asian, and hispanic women still get ignored, and white women are held in contempt and blamed for media coverage over which they have no control. That's it."
Right on. I wouldn't even give them that much credit for their "intent," though. A lot of the blogs like "poorman.net" who have been into this Where the White Women At thing have a lot of racism and sexism going on, themselves, only it isn't recognized as such because they're hip and not bland conservatives. And hip people are never wrong.
I have linked to you today. I cannot figure out the trackback and must return to my paid employment. Sigh.
Thanks for posting this and spreading the alert. Although I have not heard about Ms. Figueroa on my "main" news sources, I did see the report this morning on my wacky two-way pager "news source". I hope she gets herself found.
It's an easy shorthand way of commenting on the disgusting state of the media. It's very hurtful/hateful to the missing and their loved ones. I do feel ashamed and try not to do it in public(more of a muttering to myself).
And I still think that missing private individuals have no place on national and international television.
Her story was on my local news tonight,and I was actually surprised. I live in Houston,fourth largest city in America. Surprised they were bringing attention to a pregnant black woman from Philly.
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