Scapegoat Or the Next Paris: Commenters React To the Passion Of Mirthala Salinas

Much like we did ages ago when people began reacting to L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa’s dalliance with network politi-ho Mirthala Salinas, we present you with some highlights from the L.A. Times comments page related to this morning’s breaking news. (In case you resisted clicking the electric magenta banner above, Telemundo is suspending Salinas without pay for two months for lustfully embracing her and the mayor’s conflict of interests.) Xochilt represents the city’s sappy, sympathetic side:

Mirthala is being treated as a scapegoat. Was anyone hurt by her expression of love for Antonio? No. It’s time to stop punishing people for loving one another and save our outrage for people who hate.

John Cosmos, on the other hand, smells a conspiracy:

Let’s face it, telemundo has a racist double standard for conduct. If the mayor and the reporter were anything but Mexican, she’d be fired and there would be no favorable coverage for the mayor!

Señor Cosmos receives a special Captain Obvious badge for his deduction. More comments follow the jump.

Then, there’s reasonable speculation on the part of Jcurljr:

More LA/Hollywood scandal. Like Paris, she will survive & this blows over. Don’t be surprised she goes elsewhere & makes more $$ because any publicity is good in the entertainment world.

(VH1 Celebreality, here she comes!) Chris decides to go all anti-establishment with the following media lesson:

Ethics for journalists went the way of the dinosaur. Ever since media consolidation and tabloid style journalism took hold. Profits first, to hell with the truth.

Keep on crusading, buddy. And finally, from a commenter who goes by the name East Coast Curious, we save the best for last:

Is Los Angeles still a city in the United States? The Latino mayor, his Latina girlfriend, the Latino community, the Latino image, the mayor as a Latino role model, the telenovela-like drama, the comments en espanol . . .

Our answer? Just as much as New York is. We’d love to stay and explain why, but a Mexican delivery guy is at the door with our lunch from that Thai-Cuban fusion joint we love.

Readers Weigh In [L.A. Times]
Image [Google]
Earlier, From Newsweek Cover Boy For “Latino Power” To Lying Sleazebag: the Evolution of Mayor Villaraigosa
Villaraigosa-Salinas Coverage On Guanabee