This is not really about if he, or any of us, should feel obligated to have sex with pigs for ransom (we should, IMHO, if it could save someone's life). Obviously, even if he has no responsibility for the predicament Princess Susannah finds herself in, he should certainly take personal responsibility for her as a fellow human being.

But, it shouldn't matter who she is or who he is or what she or he does.

Part of what we see exposed here is his attachment to things like the 'dignity of the office' and from the public we see how attached they are to her as a Princess (as if that makes her somehow more important than another human being).

In fact, this entire ransom scheme worked, in this instance, because we as a society value some people (like those with impressive titles a great coaching gig or hereditary title) more than we value people in general.

But, I think this is a minor point.

The larger point Booker is making is that we care more about the newsworthiness as much or more than we care about the tragedy.

I think maybe this is what Brooker was getting at by calling this episode "The National Anthem." Our national anthem is played on the strings of our addiction to reveling in endless and sensationalized tragedy.

We have become a Western world full of rubberneckers searching for car crashes on our dark screens.

Almost 1000 people died in Chicago in gun violence this year and we have heard CNN and Donald Trump use them ONLY as statistics.

Have we ever heard one talking head say the name of even ONE victim?

The Chicago Tribune, in contrast, may have reduced many of them to dots, but at least you can hover over the dots and see names and ages like the name Deandre Banks who was aged 16 when he was killed on October 29th.

But, when the violence is of the "made for television" variety, we will hear it played (that national anthem) 24/7 until the next "newsworthy" crisis starts up to supplant it.

If a plane disappears we will get three weeks of endless coverage but if some normal (non-pretty or rich) schmuck disappears...It's Milk Carton time.

Black Lives Matter and Kaepernick (and, to some extent, the occupy movement) are attempting to get people, and networks, to care more about the marginalized and the oppressed. In a sense, they are trying to change the anthem back to one with Democracy at the heart of the song.

Unfortunately, the verdicts in the trials of the police, in the court of public opinion (Kaepernick), and in the election of Trump seem to suggest America still cares more about the drama itself than about the people suffering behind the drama (perhaps the best example of this was Trump's campaign promise to solve inner city poverty by doubling down on tough on crime - the exact same solution that started the massive incarceration epidemic that eviscerated inner cities in the 80's).

Democracy has become the right to be entertained by people's suffering while appearing concerned or angry (instead of empathetic).

I have heard it suggested that Kim Kardashian is America's "Royal Princess" and that makes a strange kind of sense to me. Our royal family would probably include Nick Saban, Kim Kardashian, and Beyonce (Lady Gaga might be that strange royal cousin). Our Royal biographer would probably be E-News and our "castle" would probably be Trump Tower (sigh).

Our national anthem has clearly become CNNs "Breaking News" crawl.

Excess Enjoyment, White Bear, and The National Anthem