NBC's Meredith Vieira stated during the Jan. 7 "Today" broadcast that she found it "obnoxious" that people took pictures of a pant-less skier caught dangling from a chairlift and posted them on the Internet.
Yet apparently it's not "obnoxious" for the top-rated morning news show to devote 36 seconds of airtime to showing those pictures, as it did this morning.
Matt Lauer laughingly called Vieira out on her hypercritical stance, "I like the way you say ‘I think it's obnoxious' and we show it on the show." Vieira defended NBC's decision to show the pictures by saying, "we have to point out how obnoxious it is over and over."
Taking pictures of a man desperately in need of help rather than coming to his aid surely qualifies as obnoxious behavior. But giggling about it on national television under the watery excuse of "pointing out how obnoxious it is" is just as abhorrent.
It's nice to know that NBC personalities are taking the time to point out to us common-folk what truly obnoxious behavior looks like.
The transcript of the segment as aired at 7:20 AM EST appears below:
MEREDITH VIEIRA, co-host: Yeah, very cold. Speaking of cold, how about that skier in Colorado that was caught in the breeze, shall we say?
MATT LAUER, co-host: That is so bad.
VIEIRA: I know.
LAUER: It happened in Vail on January 1st. The chairlift's fold down seat somehow malfunctioned, causing the man to fall through a gap, which is very serious and dangerous. As you can see, he went upside down, his pants got caught on the lift, and he dangled there naked -- or half naked -- until he was rescued. I think it was like seven minutes.
VIEIRA: Yeah, but a lot of people took pictures of his ski bum there, and then they posted it. So, I think that's obnoxious, actually. Poor guy. He's hanging there, probably freaked out.
LAUER: [Laughs] I like the way you say I think it's obnoxious, and we show it on this show.
VIEIRA and LAUER: [Laughter]
VIEIRA: Well, we have to point out how obnoxious it is over and over.
—Colleen Raezler is a research assistant at the Culture and Media Institute
Editor at Large
Comments Policy
and?
January 7, 2009 - 12:29 ET by AJBWhat did you expect? They're total hypocrites. OK to show a picture of a monkey with Bush's face imposed on it. Do the same for Obama? Don't think so. OK to criticize Bush on day 1 in office. Do the same for Obama? Nah, he'll have the biggest grace period in history...after all, he deserves to be judged by a different standard -- if you haven't heard the MSM <whisper> he's black!!</whisper> That means you judge differently because he's special... same way he got into law school, same way he got into congress, same way he got into senate.
"obnoxious" that people
January 7, 2009 - 13:36 ET by kg"obnoxious" that people took pictures of Obama partially dressed...nah
Complain about how much is being spent on the inauguration of Bush...yes...Obama...NO.
"Forget change, I want improvement!"
I never laughed so hard
January 7, 2009 - 12:32 ET by DelsaMy boys like to ski and they had a good laugh.
Actually, my youngest son and I discussed the fact of how embarrassed this guy must have been due the fact the fridgid temps protraied him as half the man he really must be????
NBC should NOT have brought it up. I just think the photo tickled Vieira's fancy.
Very astute observation
January 7, 2009 - 12:50 ET by jdlybrandnewsisblues
You're right. I think she could feel a litte tingle going up her leg!
Obnoxious behavior? Isn't
January 7, 2009 - 13:15 ET by celatorObnoxious behavior?
Isn't Mzzzzz Meridith the co-host on The View a few years back who happily freed her boobs from their confinement for all the viewers' enjoyment. Yes, she is a class act. Probably not the person to set the standard for what's publically obnoxious.
John Cleese's definition of comedy
January 7, 2009 - 14:13 ET by KC MulvilleI saw John Cleese being interviewed a couple years ago. He may have been quoting someone else, but I heard the quote from him. He said:
The guy on the ski lift must have thought this episode was a tragedy, but the fact that someone filmed it, and the networks showed it endlessly ... yes, Cleese was right. That's comedy.
Bystanders couldn't help
January 7, 2009 - 14:42 ET by DanSchwartzErr, Colleen:
There wasn't anything the bystanders could do, besides snapping pictures, that would help the guy, as he was 15 feet in the air (according to the original at TheSmokingGun.com.
The operator shut down the lift almost immediately, as you can tell from the photos; and it took them seven minutes to reverse the travel direction (probably by sawpping any two of the three phase conductors to the electric motor at the starter contactorsusing a screwdriver).
In other words, the bystanders couldn't help, even if they wanted to.
Also, according to the report, the 48 year old gentleman was unhurt.
Sh!t happens... Or in this case, hanging upside down, the guy was lucky it didn't happen!
de javou
January 7, 2009 - 16:12 ET by a12iggymomCould Meridith possibly be remembering her 'chest baring' on the View?