# Why are these people in the news after their fifteen minutes are up? **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [July 15, 2010, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-these-people-in-the-news-after-their-fifteen-minutes-are-up/546791 "2010-07-15T15:40:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![AWB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/bb73d2/32.png) [@AWB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AWB)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2010, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-these-people-in-the-news-after-their-fifteen-minutes-are-up/546791/1 "2010-07-15T15:40:31Z")
Re: [Bristol Palin & Levi Johnston](http://www.aolnews.com/surge-desk/article/why-are-bristol-palin-and-levi-johnston-getting-back-together-3-leading-theories/19554244?icid=main%7Chp-desktop%7Cdl1%7Clink6%7Chttp://www.aolnews.com/surge-desk/article/why-are-bristol-palin-and-levi-johnston-getting-back-together-3-leading-theories/19554244) I clicked on this link after misreading it. (I thought it was about the medicine company Bristol-Myers.) Vice presidents are almost forgotten as soon as they’re elected. Losing vice president candidates even faster. So why is the daughter of the last losing VP candidate and her child’s father still taking up my bandwidth _ **two fucking years after her mother lost the election?** _ And as a poll, who do you feel has gone beyond their 15 minutes? ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2010, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-these-people-in-the-news-after-their-fifteen-minutes-are-up/546791/2 "2010-07-15T15:42:00Z")
Joe the Plumber got himself elected to the steering committee for the local Republican Party a few months ago. ---
**Author:** ![Hampshire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hampshire/32/4887_2.png) [@Hampshire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hampshire)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2010, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-these-people-in-the-news-after-their-fifteen-minutes-are-up/546791/3 "2010-07-15T16:13:08Z")
I’m not really sure what the heirarchy of patheticness (i made that up) is but I think it goes something like this\>\> 1. Pathetic people addicted to the spotlight who will do anything to desperately extend their 15 minutes. 2. Pathetic trash media outlets like Us, People, ET who have nothing better to do than run stories on these folks. 3. Pathetic people who feed them both by buying these rags and watching these shows. ---
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2010, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-these-people-in-the-news-after-their-fifteen-minutes-are-up/546791/4 "2010-07-15T16:14:14Z")
My parents just got back from an Alaskan cruise today. My Dad called me here at work and he was telling me about it. My old man is a retired career military engineer and a pretty astute fella in many ways. Except politics, apparently. He told me “Son, you wouldn’t believe how rugged the land and the people are out here. It gives you a better appreciation for why Sara Palin is the way she is.” :rolleyes: I felt like saying “And what’s that, Dad? Stupid?” Jeez. Its people like Palin that make me hate the Republican Party! ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2010, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-these-people-in-the-news-after-their-fifteen-minutes-are-up/546791/5 "2010-07-15T16:32:53Z")
> [@FoieGrasIsEvil](#): > > He told me “Son, you wouldn’t believe how rugged the land and the people are out here. It gives you a better appreciation for why Sara Palin is the way she is.” > > :rolleyes: > > I felt like saying “And what’s that, Dad? Stupid?” Woodsy. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2010, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-these-people-in-the-news-after-their-fifteen-minutes-are-up/546791/6 "2010-07-15T16:41:59Z")
> [@FoieGrasIsEvil](#): > > My parents just got back from an Alaskan cruise today. My Dad called me here at work and he was telling me about it. My old man is a retired career military engineer and a pretty astute fella in many ways. Except politics, apparently. > > He told me “Son, you wouldn’t believe how rugged the land and the people are out here. It gives you a better appreciation for why Sara Palin is the way she is.” > > :rolleyes: > > I felt like saying “And what’s that, Dad? Stupid?” > > Jeez. Its people like Palin that make me hate the Republican Party! Which people does he think are rugged? The gift shop employees at the cruise ship stops? Not to diss your pop, but most of the people up there who appear to be “rugged” are posers and recent immigrants. The people who are actually living a hard life are not going to be seen on a cruise. ---
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2010, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-these-people-in-the-news-after-their-fifteen-minutes-are-up/546791/7 "2010-07-15T17:01:34Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > Which people does he think are rugged? The gift shop employees at the cruise ship stops? Not to diss your pop, but most of the people up there who appear to be “rugged” are posers and recent immigrants. The people who are actually living a hard life are not going to be seen on a cruise. Well, all I know is that a large portion of the cruise was land-based…I’m not sure where they went or what they actually saw. He did say that he met quite a few locals and spoke with them. ---
**Author:** ![Wheelz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wheelz/32/5718_2.png) [@Wheelz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wheelz)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2010, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-these-people-in-the-news-after-their-fifteen-minutes-are-up/546791/8 "2010-07-15T17:42:51Z")
> [@AWB](#): > > I clicked on this link after misreading it. (I thought it was about the medicine company Bristol-Myers.) Suuuure you did. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2010, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-these-people-in-the-news-after-their-fifteen-minutes-are-up/546791/9 "2010-07-15T17:47:51Z")
> [@FoieGrasIsEvil](#): > > Well, all I know is that a large portion of the cruise was land-based…I’m not sure where they went or what they actually saw. He did say that he met quite a few locals and spoke with them. I went on one just like that. One of the bus drivers was all into people dying if their cars broke down. But we sure as hell didn’t see any rugged. As for the OP, Reality Shows are designed for people whose fifteen minutes are up but who don’t want to admit it. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2010, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-these-people-in-the-news-after-their-fifteen-minutes-are-up/546791/10 "2010-07-15T17:58:21Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > Which people does he think are rugged? The gift shop employees at the cruise ship stops? Not to diss your pop, but most of the people up there who appear to be “rugged” are posers and recent immigrants. The people who are actually living a hard life are not going to be seen on a cruise. One is not compelled to deal only with touristy stuff on a cruise. When I took a cruise to Key West I’m sure the homeless people we ran into were not supplied by Carnival. ---
**Author:** ![Hampshire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hampshire/32/4887_2.png) [@Hampshire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hampshire)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2010, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-these-people-in-the-news-after-their-fifteen-minutes-are-up/546791/11 "2010-07-15T18:00:17Z")
Hard working Alaskans? My hippy uncle moved there in the 60s, married an Eskimo gal and had 4 kids. I think the whole lot of them are still lazy pot smoking alcoholics. ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2010, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-these-people-in-the-news-after-their-fifteen-minutes-are-up/546791/12 "2010-07-15T18:20:06Z")
> [@AWB](#): > > Vice presidents are almost forgotten as soon as they’re elected. Losing vice president candidates even faster. So why is the daughter of the last losing VP candidate and her child’s father still taking up my bandwidth _ **two fucking years after her mother lost the election?** _ Because Palin is one of the frontrunners for the Republican nomination in 2012? And because Bristol and her pregnancy (and the ensuing sex education debate that followed) was a big part of the 2008 campaign? These are just wild guesses of course. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2010, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-these-people-in-the-news-after-their-fifteen-minutes-are-up/546791/13 "2010-07-15T18:28:37Z")
> [@tdn](#): > > One is not compelled to deal only with touristy stuff on a cruise. When I took a cruise to Key West I’m sure the homeless people we ran into were not supplied by Carnival. The people in Alaska who would actually fit the descriptive “rugged” do not live on the road system, nor in the towns a tourist would normally visit. There is no lack of guys in Alaska sporting scraggly hair, Carhartts, dirty ballcaps and driving large pickups with rottweilers in the back. Most of them would starve to death without a Taco Bell in the neighborhood. All hat and no cattle, as it were. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2010, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-these-people-in-the-news-after-their-fifteen-minutes-are-up/546791/14 "2010-07-15T18:30:37Z")
> [@Justin\_Bailey](#): > > Because Palin is one of the frontrunners for the Republican nomination in 2012? And because Bristol and her pregnancy (and the ensuing sex education debate that followed) was a big part of the 2008 campaign? > > These are just wild guesses of course. That and Palin in the darling of the Teabaggers. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2010, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-these-people-in-the-news-after-their-fifteen-minutes-are-up/546791/15 "2010-07-15T18:41:34Z")
> [@](#): > > Well, all I know is that a large portion of the cruise was **land-based** … Damn! Those Alaskans _ARE_ “Rugged.” ---
**Author:** ![AWB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/bb73d2/32.png) [@AWB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AWB)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2010, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-these-people-in-the-news-after-their-fifteen-minutes-are-up/546791/16 "2010-07-15T22:21:30Z")
> [@Justin\_Bailey](#): > > Because Palin is one of the frontrunners for the Republican nomination in 2012? And because Bristol and her pregnancy (and the ensuing sex education debate that followed) was a big part of the 2008 campaign? > > These are just wild guesses of course. Frontrunner, already? It’s two frikking years until the next election. If she runs, it’s a guarantee that Obama is in for another 4, if he wants. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2010, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-these-people-in-the-news-after-their-fifteen-minutes-are-up/546791/17 "2010-07-15T22:27:32Z")
> [@awb](#): > > if she runs, it’s a guarantee that obama is in for another 4, if he wants. :d shhhhhh. ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2010, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-these-people-in-the-news-after-their-fifteen-minutes-are-up/546791/18 "2010-07-15T22:31:36Z")
Palin and Sharron Angle should be the republican ticket. It could not lose. It would get all the tea baggers. ---
**Author:** ![WolfpackJeep](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpackjeep/32/2921_2.png) [@WolfpackJeep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WolfpackJeep)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2010, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-these-people-in-the-news-after-their-fifteen-minutes-are-up/546791/19 "2010-07-15T22:54:05Z")
I want someone to do some digging and find out how much Sarah is paying Levi. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2010, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-these-people-in-the-news-after-their-fifteen-minutes-are-up/546791/20 "2010-07-15T23:11:21Z")
> [@WolfpackJeep](#): > > I want someone to do some digging and find out how much Sarah is paying Levi. 😃 From what I heard what happened that Levi discovered he was under the bottom of the barrel, and that not even the American public was stupid enough to pay money to see him do whatever his agent was proposing he do. So he went running back all apologetic. If I were him, I wouldn’t go hunting with the Palins if you know what I mean. Amazingly, he did seem to underestimate the intelligence of the American public, but perhaps Mencken only applied that to people with IQs higher than the outside temperature. In Alaska. In February. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-these-people-in-the-news-after-their-fifteen-minutes-are-up/546791.md?page=2)