printI watched “Farrah’s Story” on NBC. I was expecting the worst. I watched, I guess, because Farrah Fawcett was such an icon.
There is already in-fighting over the production. To be expected.
The film follows Farrah’s diary, which is both poignant and quite well-written.
In its review, the New York Post makes a point I expected to echo here, but I’m not, because I did not get the sense that,
“It does not register with [Farrah] that her wealth and fame, which afford her private jets to Germany and an international team of doctors, are unavailable to the vast majority of cancer sufferers, and that, if not for her station in life, she would not have had extra time. She does not seem to wrestle, at all, with the notion that there may be some experiences best kept private, that the unintended consequences of oversharing can be a cheapening and coarsening of the most meaningful moments.”
Fair enough. (Update: May 17) The docudrama is in the tradition described above. However, one need not resort to such a formulaic verdict when the overall effect departs from the usual Oprah menagerie of moral degenerates. Fawcett is a nice lady; she was not over-dramatic or emotional.
One of the idiots that writes at Fox News.com dubbed Fawcett a “starlet” in what was a “straightforward” news story. The woman who pulled off “Extremities” and “Burning Bed” had become a bit more than a “starlet.” So, that was not entirely warranted, but maybe I just have a soft spot for someone who “came across as a nice Texan girl.”
Farrah’s Story was so obviously Farrah’s trip—her tribute to herself—and it worked.
However, if Fawcett meant to be an advocate for American patients, she failed miserably. The treatment modalities she availed herself of in Germany are banned in the US by the fascistic FDA. In the United States, legitimate, medical procedures are thus labeled “alternative treatments.” Decent advocacy would have broached this aspect of the disease and the treatment. I have no doubt that the problem of FDA approval—a process that kills—applies to other diseases and treatment options.
But mostly, not a word was said about the horrible, yet extremely rare, disease Farrah has: anal cancer.
Without wading into this indelicate topic, risk factors include:
* Being over 50 years old.
* Being infected with human papillomavirus (HPV).
* Having many sexual partners.
* Having receptive anal intercourse (anal sex).*
* Smoking cigarettes.
In 2008, there were only 5,070 new cases, and 680 Deaths. That would have been an important bit of information to impart to viewers. (Update: May 17) The FDA kills more people in a year by proscribing new treatments and new drugs.
Prevention follows from the risk factors.
* I first found out that heterosexuals engage in this perversion when I arrived in North America. I was already a married woman with a 12-year-old daughter. South Africa was a blissfully conservative country.
Well you are not the only one who thinks that this is a perverse sexual act. As one of the ‘younger’ generation (I hate using that word because everyone will think I’m base) I feel the same way.
Without getting too personal, or gruff, there are an increasing number of girls who are OK with this type of sex.
I was considered a prude in class for asking out loud why any girl (or woman) would allow a man to debase her in such a way.
What is even more strange is how young women seem to view this as a form of empowerment of their sexuality – engaging in certain kinky sexual acts is seen as something personally empowering.
What is empowering about letting a man debase you in such a way? Bizarre.
Apologies if this is too frank a discussion, Ilana…
~Alex
Yes, the media sees fit to blame Farrah for the FDA making treatments unavailable in the U.S. and thus prohibitively expensive for many.
Switching to another item about terminally ill cancer patients, there is an excellent article about Donald “Abu Ghraib” Rumsfeld in GQ: http://men.style.com/gq/features/landing?id=content_9217
In this article, Rumsfeld’s rival Bushians (cattily) all pick on Rumsfeld’s idiosyncracies. In the article, this Rumsfeld anecdote comes up about Bush wanting to award a “Medal of Freedom” (the trinket like he gave out to George “Slam Dunk” Tenet) to the cancer-ridden Ted Kennedy: “..Administration sources say Bush was warm to the idea of awarding a medal to the cancer-stricken senator. …“They can’t give Kennedy a medal!” he’d [Rumsfeld] declared. “Not after he murdered that woman.” Rumsfeld is not outraged because Kennedy helped destroy freedom by growing socialistic government. Noooo! The man who fecklessly screwed up an ill-conceived WAR in which hundreds of thousands have died and millions have been displaced from their homes is morally outraged over Kennedy’s drunk driving with a groupie 40 years earlier!
{Perhaps Kennedy should get the Order of Lenin provided that Rumsfeld wins his Iron Cross!}
[Actually, I think it’s a good quip from The Donald. Crappy Kennedy did leave a girl to die, and got away with it.]
Of course, Rumsfeld was SOBER while messing up Iraq while Teddy was sloshed. My God, the 40th anniversery of Chappaquiddick is coming up – Mary Jo would be 69 years old – and even my song is that old – but here is my salute to my former Senior Senator:
We Got To Sink The Car To the Bottom of the Sea
or the Ballad of Chappaquiddick – sung to “Sink the Bismarck”
Last night I went to a party with good old Mary Jo
We had a lot to drink and we both put on a show
I went to drive her home last night – but off the bridge we went
And now its going to be quite hard to be the President
CHORUS: We got to sink the car to the bottom of the sea
We got to do it ’cause this land was made for Kennedy
I didn’t mean to do it but I was too drunk to see
We got to do it ’cause his name is Teddy Kennedy
I cheated all through law school, I didn’t do a thing
You can’t expect a man to work when he will be your king
And when I got in trouble, I would get off the hook
Because my dad was rich, even though he was a crook
REPEAT CHORUS:
My brother became President which I thought was quite neat
And he did me a favor giving me his Senate seat
My old man made his millions by avoiding income tax
But now I am the savior of the poor and of the blacks
REPEAT CHORUS:
For those who don’t know the tune to Sink the Bismark, it starts one minute into this Youtube video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_EdngnDdjCo