Easier Ways to Get A Reality Show-Brian Achatz

A few Thursdays ago I was sitting in my living room when I got a phone call from my friend telling me to turn on the news. When I asked what for, I was not expecting to hear that there was a small child trapped in a balloon saucer flying across the Northwest United States. When I turned on the news and saw it for myself I began laughing, thinking there was no way that this was possible. However, I was still worried about the safety of the child that could possibly be up there.
A week later when I found out it was all a hoax, put on by parents Richard Heene and his wife Mayumi, I found it quite funny. Millions of people were involved in the story of the flying child, only to find out he had been hiding in the attic all along. After I discovered that their 6 year old son’s name was Falcon, it seemed that they had been planning this hoax since before he was born. Now the parents are facing fines and possible criminal charges.
I found this event funny various reasons, firstly I thought the hoax was slightly like a reality tv show, which I ten to enjoy, secondly I was humored by human nature; the fact that a person could be so desperate for attention that they could arrange such a hoax.
I read an article from the NY Times website covering the aftermath of the hoax. It stated that neighbors and friends of Mr. Heene described him as “eager for fame” and “explosive temper.” He had been trying to make it big in reality tv for years and just kept missing the cut. I believe Richard thought, by following his big scheme, that this time he would get attention, make money by selling his story to the media, and maybe even end up with a tv show.
This was not the first time that “real news” was blurred and also lost in a entertainment fiasco, much like reality tv. The news teams were covering a story that could very much be real but wasn’t completely; much like your favorite reality show. I think reality shows have there own time and place, but they do not belong on Fox or CNN at noon. What Richard Heene did, may have been hysterical at the end, but it is still not okay.
Heene is not the only bad guy here though. This event says a lot about the U.S. media and the U.S. populace as well. It shows that media has its priorities out of line, showing more coverage to a fake entertainment story than real issues such as war and the US Health Policy. The media also appears to “fluff” stories because citizens of the US want more entertainment in their lives than they want intelligence.
This in return causes over spending of public money that is a non-story and is basically just personal advancement. I do not think that Heene should face any criminal charges, but I think that fines paid to the government would be right. I think their should also be some sort of policy that keeps the Heene’s from gathering 100% profit for anything he makes from his crime; writing books, TV Shows, or even a documentary that comes out of this, the government should get a piece of the profit to cover the expenses for following the story.
The other victims of the hoax deserve some profit as well. Victims being the taxpayers who paid for the helicopters, police, those who covered the story, and those ready to save the boy.