Small Minds Discussed (Disgust) People

Ahhh, Thanksgiving in our nation’s capital… a time for gratitude, guests, gorging, and…gossip. Unless you’ve been living in a media-free bubble the past week, you’ve heard about the State Dinner scandal involving local social scene couple Tareq and Michaele Salahi. From Indiana to India, front pages are blaring with news of “Crasher-gate” and the potential felony-level breech of national security. In DC, however, the story has taken a far more “Sala”-cious turn, and the resulting rumor mill feeding frenzy is turning too many Washingtonians into gossip-mongering, back-biting harpies.

I have refrained from publicly commenting on this story until now, but after multiple requests for my opinion and more than one comment that someone mistook a photo of Michaele for me – she’s gorgeous by the way (wink) – here it goes. I have no comment on this story. I have met Michaele and attended numerous events where she too was a guest. I respect her privacy and value this publication’s standing too much to opine further.

I do, however, have plenty to say about the people who use an unfortunate socio-political scandal for their own publicity-seeking ends. But, I’ll be brief and share just one anecdote that epitomizes the sad trajectory of this story and the highest form of irony. A local *writer* who claims to “toss aside the superficial and shallow, and deliver sensibility and substance” also features the following Eleanor Roosevelt quote on a personal Facebook page, “Great minds discuss ideas; Average minds discuss events; Small minds discuss people.” Since Wednesday, said *writer’s* personal Facebook page has also featured no fewer than three dozen updates about the Salahi mishigoss, the likes of which make Perez Hilton look like a sycophant. Small minds also disgust people.

I, for one, have had enough. When scandal and ugly rumors are elevated to news, everyone involved looks bad. It’s the lowest form of info-tainment, and in the end, those propagating it are no better than tabloids and paparazzi. ‘Tis the holiday season, for goodness sake. Those of us with a public voice should put it to use for things that truly matter – like bringing attention to organizations and events that benefit our community, highlighting people who go out of their way to make a difference for others, and of course, sharing the scoop on great style, the best in entertainment, and fabulous products and places.

To raising the level of public debate,