Michael Amity isn’t famous. He’s just a guy. But he’s asking TMZ to reconsider sharing the image of Ardie Fuqua being pulled from the wreckage of a bus where another man died.
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This week, TMZ posted an insensitive video of the crash aftermath involving Tracy Morgan. Soon after it was protested by the daughter of Ardie Fuqua, Morgan’s opening act (who was also severely injured), Louis CK took it upon himself to support his comrades with a request to take it down.
The web is now buzzing. It seems that a bigger story has emerged than just one video. CK has initiated a suitable attempt to quell the hyper-neurotic landscape of our society. Via his Twitter campaign, Louie has gone from an edgy comic to an activist, using a panache for capturing absurdity, made famous by his act, now in real time.
I work in the business, and enjoy CK’s work viscerally. Comedy is like that; crowd and performer share intimate moments throughout. Many appreciators of the art are glad to see an awkward, middle-aged genius leading the comedy world. If the Yankees were a comedy troupe, Louis CK would be Derek Jeter–the Captain. That said, we must keep our perspective, realizing each of us is just one voice. Real change comes when a torch is passed from one to many. A single voice is the spark, but we need to act together.
With that in mind, I wrote this to Harvey Levin and the editorial staff at TMZ:
Please take down the video of the horrendous traffic accident that you are currently profiting off of. Make your money some other way. This isn’t the time or the situation where gossip has value.
Try a bit more to listen to the public’s requests for a better world where respect is paid to the families who suffer. In this case, a small act is equal to a large pain lifted. The pain of embarrassment that you cause often in many instances where celebs ask for it, doesn’t equate to this where a child of a victim is in deep hurt. The people want answers on the recovery status, not to have the event’s sensation used.
I get it. That’s your thing. You use frantic situations and unlikely outcomes connected with the pop world to offer something new and different each time. People know you as a freak form of news. The difference between right and wrong in your category isn’t always obvious.
I understand in this world it’s “post first, ask questions last”. If you won’t remove it, what questions are you asking? None. Are you asking if we want to see it? No. This just seems a bit tacky. And I hope the end result of you not caring about Mr. Fuqua’s daughter is a reduction in your value to society. I don’t hate you. There’s still time to turn it around.
You’ve made headlines again with your choice to share the video of the crash. I’m asking you to remove it. I’m not a celebrity, so you don’t have to antagonize me to get a reaction. You don’t have to hide your resentment by trying to knock me down a peg; maybe you’ll respect my words, since there’s no way for you to profit from them.
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Another side of this is that a person got paid for the video. “If anything I blame the person recording the Tracy Morgan crash scene and then sending it to TMZ,” said Patrick Milligan, owner of The Stand, a comedy club in Manhattan where drop-ins are regular from the likes of Louis CK and Tracy Morgan. Many comics chimed in on his thread, delegating blame amongst the responsible parties. A debate is certainly happening over what we’re actually doing as a community–can we continue to sit by idly and watch?
A hard bottom-liner in a corporate office cut a check to some depraved gawker, to concoct this “story”, but that executive had a product being offered to them. The camera-wielder thought it a “cool shot”, perhaps, but later decided to send it for a payday knowing there is a market that would eat it up. So, a load of filth was spilt in anticipation of reward. Who made the call for this sick display in the first place? “That person who recorded it is kind of like a drug supplier sending product to dealers to get to the addicts,” Milligan told me.
It’s sad that this bystander didn’t try to help, but thought to profit here. It’s equally sad that a schemes-driven industry of paparazzi and amateur copycats got us to this point. The makers of this filth are the ones who, in their moments, choose a route of exploitation, but there is a give and take to be recognized–as we, the consumers, are doing the taking. It’s too simplistic to only blame the media outlet, when we are complicit as viewers and creators. What are we going to do? Will we develop a way to end shiest-videography of this disgusting ilk? It’s not like a press pass is granted for owning a camera phone.
If you want to help break the cycle, you can write your own letter, by clicking here. Please don’t add to their views or recognize them as a worthy content source. Don’t patronize their business. I think they’ve proved they’re below us who have a decent sense of compassion.
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It’s not hard to distance one’s self from the lies circulating, if we want to, but we seek involvement. To what end? We all seek the latest, but sometimes there’s no way to know what’s happening. Many times it’s impossible, given the facts available, to know what to believe.
A helpful tip comes from a friend of Ardie Fuqua, closely following the story. Big Jay Oakerson, a rising comic, thought his friend was fine for days based on what he heard, but it turns out that was false. Mr. Fuqua is still in bad shape. Oakerson’s perspective is revealing, because he is lucky enough to have first-hand knowledge. He is now asking us to lay off the rumor mill–that may be the best advice.
If the reports on the medical conditions of the victims are inconsistent with what’s going around social media, then that indicates our desire for updates is causing a bevy of misinformation. As we pray for speedy recoveries, clearly something has gotten out of hand.
It doesn’t matter what we hear, or what a celebrity says, in the end, just as flippant stories are valueless. The truth matters, but we aren’t going to improve the lot until we see everyone is capable of actions that outweigh what the top brass says–media and celebrities. They are quick to offer and reward perversion for shock value. We can adjust. The scandalous atmosphere inevitably makes us freak out or tune out. Let’s abandon the scenario where mindless talk is allowed equal time with facts and thoughtful statements. I am sick of conjecture masked as truth.