http://www.philly.com/inquirer/opinion/20070410_False_Idol.htmlPhilly Inquirer: The subversive threat of faux singer Sanjaya Malakar (Satire)
Not being an "Idol" watcher, I had no idea this was going on. Take a break from serious stuff and read on...
At long last, America, have you no sense of decency?
Just when it seems that our standing abroad can sink no lower, there comes a new threat to our worldwide reputation so devastating, so morally repellent that I feel compelled to speak out while there is still time. I have to believe it's not too late to save my beloved country from abject humiliation.
For the love of God, America, stop Sanjaya Malakar!
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Consider the implications if this alleged "contestant" continues to make his way through successive rounds of American Idol. If the unthinkable happens, and Sanjaya takes the top spot, there are countless millions, perhaps billions, of similarly untalented people across the globe who will be emboldened by his success.
Simple shepherds in Finland will start air-guitaring to "Honky Tonk Woman" while their flocks wither away and perish. Brazilian fishermen will put away their nets, to spend endless hours working on lame renditions of "Let's Misbehave" and "Papa Was a Rollin' Stone." And young peasant girls in Kyrgyzstan will be heard rehearsing "Can't Take My Eyes Off You" beneath their burqas.
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What can ordinary Americans do? In many respects, American Idol is a democracy more vital than our political one, so each of us can use the power of the text message to register our vote. It's incumbent on each citizen to treat this civic duty with the gravity it deserves. It's one thing to let George W. Bush become president of the United States through voter apathy, but letting Sanjaya Malakar ascend to the Season 6 throne through our inaction and indifference is beyond the pale.
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more!