Thursday, November 20, 2008

Fox finds werewolf


We all know Fox News, of course. The troglodyte channel, the world as seen by angry old white men (and a few even angrier, tight-lipped young white women). The sort who "Lexington," in this week's Economist magazine, says belong to the "party of 'white-trash pride,'" and who "are consumed with elemental fury about everything from immigration to liberal do-gooders."

But I digress.

Whatever else you may say about Fox, it's a business and a successful business at that. It knows its clientele, and it knows their needs and interests. As a result, a perusal of its website reveals news items that never see the light of day on grayer, more boring media such as CNN and ABC.

For example: today's photo article about Pruthviraj Patil, the 11-year-old wolf boy in India. What? You knew nothing of this phenomenon? Well, I didn't either, but now I do. It seems the lad is covered with fur from head to toe, palms of his hands and feet only excepted. According to the story, he suffers from hypertrichosis, a "rare genetic disorder," more felicitously known as "werewolf syndrome."

The story was newsworthy, apparently, because of an anticipated "cure": Columbia University physicians are experimenting with testosterone injections. Too early for news of any progress, but not too early for a nice head shot of the young werewolf. Thanks, Fox News.

The Northwest Corner is proud to pass on this breaking development.

4 comments:

Tawny said...

I actually watched the 1 hour documentary on TLC earlier this week. It profiled 2 children, one boy from India and one girl from Thailand. It was an interesting piece about the search for a cure. The show ended with the realization that the chromosome that they suspected had the mutated gene was not possessed by either of the two children tested. The show ended with no real hope for a cure but with both kids adjusting to school life and making friends.

Rainier96 said...

Hmm, so maybe I owe Fox an apology? At least for this story? I thought they were just imitating National Enquirer.

Anyway, the kid REALLY needs to start shaving.

Tawny said...

Let's not get carried away. I don't think there's ever a need to appologize to Fox News:)

Rainier96 said...

You're right! What was I thinking of! :-D