Wednesday, June 08, 2005
The Natalee Holloway Story
First and foremost, I pray that Ms. Holloway is found safe and sound and that anyone who did her wrong is prosecuted and punished to the full extent of the law.
That said, is it just me, or is the MSM going out of its way to describe Ms. Holloway as a "teenager"? At the age of 18, she most certainly is a teenager, but one doesn't often hear the term applied to a person who's reached the legal age of majority. To me the word "teenager" connotes immaturity, poor impulse control, naivity and rebelliousness. In another context, I'm sure that Ms. Holloway would be described as a "woman," which connotes maturity, self-control, self-assuredness and a certain level of worldliness and circumspection.
Why, then, do the media refer to her so often as a teenager? Is it an effort to evoke an emotional response to the story? Is the usage even conscious?
In any event, by all accounts Ms. Holloway's character is much more in line with that of a "woman" than of a "teenager."
That said, is it just me, or is the MSM going out of its way to describe Ms. Holloway as a "teenager"? At the age of 18, she most certainly is a teenager, but one doesn't often hear the term applied to a person who's reached the legal age of majority. To me the word "teenager" connotes immaturity, poor impulse control, naivity and rebelliousness. In another context, I'm sure that Ms. Holloway would be described as a "woman," which connotes maturity, self-control, self-assuredness and a certain level of worldliness and circumspection.
Why, then, do the media refer to her so often as a teenager? Is it an effort to evoke an emotional response to the story? Is the usage even conscious?
In any event, by all accounts Ms. Holloway's character is much more in line with that of a "woman" than of a "teenager."
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