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Letter from Boston

Junk Reading

By MASAKO YAMADA


役に立たない読書

くだらないと分かっていても、ついつい読んでしまうタブロイド新聞。アメリカでは、有名人の私生活についてのゴシップはもちろん、「しっぽがついた巨大赤ちゃん誕生」「宇宙人捕らわる」など、ありそうもない奇怪な見出しが人々の興味を引いています。雅子さん自身は、やっぱり有名人のゴシップが気になります。

My new British roommate came back from a shopping trip recently and happily told me that she had found an English newspaper in one of the local shops. She told herself that it was a treat for after she finished her work. And when she did finish her set tasks, she sat down in the kitchen with a cup of tea and her paper. I had to chuckle a bit, since it was a tabloid.

Although Britain is commonly thought of as being a place where people are proper and refined, it's also well-known that tabloid papers flourish there. It seems that the people cannot get enough trashy gossip. My roommate is a postdoc in a well-respected hospital, but I suppose she can't resist getting her dose of junk reading.

I have to admit that I share this fondness for frivolous reading material. Whenever I make trips to the local Japanese market, I do not head toward the rack with Bungei Shunju. Instead, I head straight for the women's weeklies. Knowing about the latest political or economic news in Japan doesn't make me feel particularly connected to the country, but for some reason, knowing about the latest trends does.

I can't resist reading the American tabloids, either. They are usually placed strategically, right by every cash register at the supermarket.

The most popular tabloid, The National Enquirer, is actually the most widely circulated newspaper in the States. Given the number of respectable newspapers out there, this is quite scary. However, I heartily admit that I almost always have the urge to pick up a tabloid. I suspect many other readers are just as curious.

The tabloids obviously cannot be taken too seriously, although they have been known to be hot on the trail of top-secret gossip well before the legitimate press. They can take risks in reporting theories that are unverified because they are really not held accountable for misreporting.

There are many different kinds of tabloids. My favorite tabloids are the celebrity tabloids. They usually focus on the private lives of famous stars like Michael Jackson, Princess Diana and Leonardo DiCaprio. However, they also provide gossip on more "substantial" figures such as Bill Clinton and the Kennedy family. The Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman murder trial and Jon Benet Ramsey murder investigation have also been favorites of the tabloids. I'm a rather matter-of-fact person, so I don't know why I'm interested in knowing who is dating whom. But I am.

I suppose most people want to know what lies behind the carefully crafted images seen in the legitimate media. The thing about these tabloids is that one can never be sure whether what one is reading is true. It seems true, or at least plausible, since the articles involve people seen every day in the newspapers and on TV. But that uncertainty is probably one of the things that makes the tabloids so compelling.

Some other tabloids have fantastic articles with headlines like "30 lb. Baby Born in Nebraska — with Furry Tail!!," "Aliens Trapped in University Laboratory" and "Elvis Seen at McDonald's." They usually are accompanied by very artificial-looking photographs. The articles are obviously false, and for that reason I don't find them so attractive. However, I can imagine that people like to read them exactly because they are so corny.

There are also tabloids that focus on miracle remedies, usually along the lines of "Wine Vinegar Cures Cancer" and "Lose 30 Pounds in 30 Days Using Table Salt." "Alternative medicine" is getting more popular these days as people become more skeptical of traditional doctors. I, myself, have turned to Chinese herbs many times. However, I find it a bit scary that tabloids feel free to dispense medical advice — especially if it prevents seriously ill readers from going to the doctor.

There might be something behind these articles, but I can't say that I have much of an urge to read them, since I'm in good health. At the end of a long day, tawdry celebrity gossip often hits the spot. It's junk food for the spirit.


Shukan ST: Feb. 25, 2000

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