It is in fact a very intelligent assessment - an amazing feat considering the utter sensationalistic stupidity of the show itself. Really guys, to anyone who villifies wrestlers, wrestling fans, or others associated with the business as stupid or at least foolish, I think the lot of us have been coming off as more informed and intelligent since the Benoit tragedy than ANYONE in the mainstream media - at least cable news. I have seen and read very little 'out there' that reflects the journalists know a thing about wrestling - nor, in light of a major news story involving it, have they taken the time to do their homework.
Particularly, grating, at least on this panel (besides the thankfully one-of-a-kind Ms. Grace herself, of course), was Louis Fernando Llosa. Mr. Llosa, with all due respect - and that's not much - you're an idiot. A complete and total idiot, an insult to journalism, and thank Christ my husband cancelled his SI subscription or I'd be cancelling it for him. How does an uninformed vegetable like you get hired at such a respectable magazine? Or is wrestling just BENEATH a legit sports reporter like yourself? Are OJ and Tyrell Owens more up your alley, then? Tie Domi? Todd Bertuzzi? Or are you in the dark as to who they are too?
But I digress. Bottom line, folks - anyone who hosts these shows - or, conversely, participates in a panel on one - having done no research disgusts me. If it was Barry Bonds or Wayne Gretsky, or Tom Cruise or Paris Hilton, the effort would be made to know about their life's work (to the extent it's relevant) and the official circumstances surrounding everything.
Nancy Grace citing (several times) rumours that Chris Benoit himself had been murdered when I haven't heard those since late Mon. night, or that just prior to Benoit's death he had been demoted from "the 4 Horsemen to Raw"? Louis Llosa coming on the show not having the foggiest clue about the chronology of the events he was supposed to be commenting on? No surprise the one and only person actually involved in wrestling on the panel came off as the most informed and aware - he WAS the only one who cared enough to think and consider what had happened before going on a show to discuss it.
Look, it's a journalism basic. If a story is worth your time, do your research. Anderson Cooper found covering Paris Hilton the other night distasteful, but he took his time to do it properly. Whether the mainstream media wants to acknowledge it or not, wrestling is a very popular sport with a reasonably large following. That means that there is at least a small but significant portion of society right now having a hard time dealing with a tremendous loss and tragedy - if you can't respect Chris and/or his family and/or those in his profession, at least respect his fans, who are probably frankly the only ones REALLY watching your show(s) on this topic anyway ... and thus bringing in your advertising dollars ... by giving it a fair treatment.
Or give it no mainstream treatment at all. We wrestling fans are used to THAT much. And just as a PS? Don't, DON'T mention names like Owen Hart in the same sentence as drug related wrestling deaths! Although ... why not. It's not like every single one of those panelists - save one - wasn't revealed for the ignorant asses they were during this discussion last night.
Thank you, Chris Jericho - you know, one of those dumb RASSLERS - for being the voice of reason on a hard-hitting, analytical news show. I *heart* Y2J.