John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette Cumberland Island Georgia Wedding Videotape

May 27, 2009 | Filed Under Activist, Celebrity | Comments Off

The New York Post reported that “mickeythemonkey2″ was peddling a homemade videotape of JFK and Carolyn Bessette’s wedding on Cumberland Island, Georgia, so I googled the keyword and found the tape. It shows a short clip of them cutting their wedding cake.

The fact that the tape exists seems fine to me. I mean, who doesn’t go to someone’s wedding and document their presence there. Just because someone is famous shouldn’t prevent you from an obvious inclination. It’s the cashing in on the footage that makes it ethically complicated. Let’s be honest, though: if this footage was released into the public domain, then it would be instantly seen around the world on every major broadcast network. And as we all know, broadcast networks are based on a business model that demands advertising money in exchange for appearing between entertainment or news material.

Is the monetization of this rare footage an ethical violation of the owner’s relationship to the deceased couple? Probably. Is it any more foul than all the networks and magazines that played out this story and made money from advertisers in the process? No.

It’s really the Zapruder film of our time. We live in a culture that hustles everything on a daily basis. I mean if corporations can sell you junk food that slowly destroys your health and no one seems to shame them into ceasing and desisting, then what’s wrong with a person who possesses video footage they can charge $9.95 to peek at? Is it wrong to place value on a material object and throw it into the capitalistic ring for profit? Sorry, it’s done every day.

If the person peddling the product can live with his or her ethical stance, AND it does no tangible harm to the rest of us on the planet, then, my friends, it might be best to practice some acceptance. After all, California has no problem banning gay marriage, coal mining operations have no problem dumping toxic chemicals into our aquifers, and banks have no trouble charging 29% interest rates. Don’t these behaviors seem like a greater injustice against humanity than someone offering up a glimpse of a celebrity couple’s wedding day?

Bessette Kennedy Wedding Videotape