Balloon Hoax Worth the Payoff

Regarding Balloon Boy, the conventional wisdom goes something like this: Balloon Boy's mom and dad will get in a lot of trouble, and they'll be sorry they ever conspired to trick the entire country, and much of the world, to believe 6-year-old Falcon Heene was floating high above the Earth and facing almost certain death. They'll be sorry, because they didn't think they'd get caught.

That's the popular myth. More likely, this could be playing out as Mr. and Mrs. Balloon Boy intended. They could not possibly have believed law enforcement and the public, upon scrutiny, would believe their story. They must have known they'd get caught.

So why did they do it? Because this is the era of fame for the sake of fame itself. Fame used to result from good acting, or good singing, or valuable research, exceptional innovation or a position of power. Today, it results from being seen. Maybe it's your 16th birthday, you are spoiled, and MTV wants to film your party. Maybe you're morbidly obese and don't mind flaunting it. If you can't find a camera crew, simply moon a parking lot surveillance camera. It might "go viral," as an Internet meme. Just get yourself, your wife and your kids on TV.

The Balloon family's stunt was on a Thursday afternoon, and by that night Balloon Boy and his parents were a full-fledged brand.

Americans were buying Balloon Boy T-shirts on the Internet. By the weekend, a variety of Balloon Boy songs had widespread Internet distribution. By Sunday, the Balloon Boy home had become such a media circus that one angry neighbor violently attacked a news crew.

If the balloon people are charged — as they should be — and convicted, don't expect punishment to reform them. Already, fame-sniffer David Lane — the Denver-based attorney for Ward Churchill and other media creations — has secured his place as counsel for the balloon people. But you read it here first: any court-imposed fines, and Lane's fees, will likely be paid in full by the producer of a new reality TV show featuring Mr. and Mrs. Balloon Boy and Balloon Boy himself.

The Balloon people will finally get their wish. They will have the modern version of fame and fortune. They are this month's version of Octomom.

We can blame the Balloon family all we want, and our gripes will have some merit. But we must acknowledge the culture that encouraged their behavior. We must contemplate a culture that comes to a screeching halt to indulge morbid curiosity about a boy in a balloon and an endless array of other freak shows that entice enormous audiences.

REPRINTED FROM THE NEW BERN SUN JOURNAL.

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