| The Daily Show With Jon Stewart | Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c | |||
| September 11, 2001 | ||||
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11 September 2009
jon stewart on 11 september 2001
on the callousness of humanity
We live in an era of instant news. We live in an area where no matter the privacy or legal concerns, information can be obtained at a price. The IAAF has conducted a humiliating 'gender' test on a young South African athlete named Caster Semenya. [And I could go into how the terminology is all wrong, and how it shouldn't be called a gender or a test at all, but that's an entry for another time.] News that this test was being conducted was made public just before a World championship race the young woman was running in. News of her test, possible results, and questions about her 'gender' have been shouted from around the world. South Africa is protecting and defending one of their own in the best ways they know how.
I cannot imagine being Caster Semenya right now. I cannot imagine my entire life being torn up, and the topic of my body seen as something the entire world has some sort of right to know. I cannot imagine the private shame behind her public face. I cannot imagine what it must be like to not only lose the chance to live my dreams, but to also face the possibility I might 'fail' a 'gender' test [wtf? I didn't even think that was possible. How can you fail a test like this?]. I cannot imagine any of that.
But my heart aches for Caster Semenya tonight. Because the results of her humiliating and degrading test are back. And she has not yet been notified of the results- as I said, South Africa is protecting one of their own. But this information was obtained (and likely for a large sum) and is being spread across instant news channels.
THIS IS AN 18-YEAR OLD GIRL. Who was not famous before her Berlin run. Who is ONLY famous because of this test being conducted. And the media show no mercy. And really, why should anyone expect them to have any compassion for Caster Semenya? Reporting about her brings news- people buy papers, click on news stories, turn into the special report on the evening news. It's sickening. Absolutely sickening.
Her entire life is in the spotlight, and she and her family have not been properly notified. And everyone is eating up this news- and I can't blame media entirely for it, because it's the people too, who demand the news, who read it, who think they have a right to publicly discuss someone else's body. I can't even wrap my head around how angry I am about this. Why? Why do we fall prey so easily to the idea of instant news? Why do we accept that this is somehow okay? That personal, private, medical tests are somehow our right to have knowledge of? Why has no-one at the IAAF considered what this whole ordeal, 'pass' or 'fail' on this test, might do to Caster Semenya? Why has the media not considered this, entertained their own humanity just this once, and left this affair private?
Why have scores upon scores of people failed Caster Semenya?
My heart aches for her, tonight.
I cannot imagine being Caster Semenya right now. I cannot imagine my entire life being torn up, and the topic of my body seen as something the entire world has some sort of right to know. I cannot imagine the private shame behind her public face. I cannot imagine what it must be like to not only lose the chance to live my dreams, but to also face the possibility I might 'fail' a 'gender' test [wtf? I didn't even think that was possible. How can you fail a test like this?]. I cannot imagine any of that.
But my heart aches for Caster Semenya tonight. Because the results of her humiliating and degrading test are back. And she has not yet been notified of the results- as I said, South Africa is protecting one of their own. But this information was obtained (and likely for a large sum) and is being spread across instant news channels.
THIS IS AN 18-YEAR OLD GIRL. Who was not famous before her Berlin run. Who is ONLY famous because of this test being conducted. And the media show no mercy. And really, why should anyone expect them to have any compassion for Caster Semenya? Reporting about her brings news- people buy papers, click on news stories, turn into the special report on the evening news. It's sickening. Absolutely sickening.
Her entire life is in the spotlight, and she and her family have not been properly notified. And everyone is eating up this news- and I can't blame media entirely for it, because it's the people too, who demand the news, who read it, who think they have a right to publicly discuss someone else's body. I can't even wrap my head around how angry I am about this. Why? Why do we fall prey so easily to the idea of instant news? Why do we accept that this is somehow okay? That personal, private, medical tests are somehow our right to have knowledge of? Why has no-one at the IAAF considered what this whole ordeal, 'pass' or 'fail' on this test, might do to Caster Semenya? Why has the media not considered this, entertained their own humanity just this once, and left this affair private?
Why have scores upon scores of people failed Caster Semenya?
My heart aches for her, tonight.
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