A Small Observation

Back in March of this year, actress Vivica A. Fox was arrested for DUI:

It happened last night on the 101 Freeway in the San Fernando Valley at 10:57 PM. We're told Fox passed a marked black and white while going approximately 80 mph. Sources say the officers went after the 2007 Cadillac Escalade she was driving.

The officers administered a field sobriety test -- which Fox was unable to perform.

Oh, those wacky celebs. Always causing a ruckus. Well, surely there's nothing more to see here.

Oops...maybe there is. Fast forward to late June, 2007:

The officer says in the report, after she was stopped, "Fox began to walk away, yelling at my partner, 'Brother help a sister -- are you going to let this racist white cop do this ... well are you?'"

In the section of the report in which the officers are asked to describe the demeanor of the person they're arresting, the officer wrote "demeaning." We're told things got volatile enough that a patrol sergeant was called to the scene.

Now here's the interesting thing - Ms. Fox was pulled over back in March, and yet it's practically July before we're hearing about her little attitude problem.

Contrast that with another celebrity DUI arrest:

Mel Gibson was charged with misdemeanor drunken driving Wednesday, five days after he was stopped on Malibu’s Pacific Coast Highway for speeding and made anti-Semitic comments that have stained his public image.

Now I'm not defending Mel Gibson, but I do wonder why his admittedly uncouth statements were reported everywhere almost immediately while Ms. Fox's rants were kept quiet for months. What's more, every sylable which Mel uttered that night was dutifully reported, while most of what Vivica had to say was simply described as "demeaning".

I suppose it's possible that Mel Gibson, as a bigger star with a much higher profile, could be considered more newsworthy than Vivica A. Fox. That would be why his outbursts have a much more immediate impact that hers.

Of course, it could also be that, as a white male conservative Catholic, Mel Gibson's behavior is a much more delicious contradiction of his wholesome public image and is therefore more deserving of attention.

Is it possible that Ms. Fox's behavior, while disappointing and sad, is perhaps not as surprising? I mean, of course pulling someone over for driving 80 miles per hour and weaving all over the road while drunk is a "rascist" act. After all, what's a little drunk driving and potential for loss of life compared to true equality and social justice?

A picture's worth a thousand words

Here's Mel Gibson's mugshot, which boozily stared out at America from countless websites, newspapers and T.V. screens:

Vivica's mugshot hasn't made it into the public eye yet (not yet?), so I guess we'll have to make due with something else:

Yes, I think that will do.