The media giveth and the media taketh away

Speaking of our cultural theater of the absurd, NBC is reporting: "Jason Russell, 33, was allegedly found masturbating in public, vandalizing cars and possibly under the influence of something, according to the San Diego Police. Russell, as you might recall, is the co-founder of Invisible Children, the nonprofit that gave us Kony 2012, evidently the most viral video ever (per New York magazine). A press release from Invisible Children said Russell was "suffering from exhaustion, dehydration and malnutrition," and that the past two weeks had taken "a severe emotional toll" on him. That's doublespeak, but no surprise. Kony 2012 was (rightly) criticized for naivety in its approach to the complicated situation in Uganda. But the angst that led to masturbating in a park suggests Russell has way deeper issues that go beyond a drubbing in the press. And the bill has come due for the white-hot publicity he sought.