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I remember watching Sanjaya during his audition shortly after his sister's. Although his sister had a good voice, he had a great voice. He was this skinny, little shy-looking guy who could really belt a tune. I didn't think he'd come anywhere near the top 12, but I was really impressed by him and found him totally adorable.

And then the sky fell. Victim to wacky hairdos and a group of finalists that were quite a different breed than him, he found himself in a league of his own. Looking obviously nervous before many performances, Sanjaya stumbled through some of his performances. But he quickly became an Idol icon, with not only fans but also those who dislike him taking to the phones and voting. This makes Sanjaya a true phenomenon.

With the site votefortheworst.com getting major exposure by urging people to vote for Sanjaya, and even Howard Stern jumping on the "vote for the worst" bandwagon, this is definitely one of the most entertaining seasons of American idol, even if it is not the season that has showcased the most talent. But the horrible part about Sanjaya's reign is that people have resorted to the ugliest side of human behavior, calling him racial slurs, making threats, saying really horrible things that he does not deserve.

Although it is expected that you get some media attention both positive and negative when entering and competing in a show like American Idol, but people forget that he is a teenager. He's still growing up, and likely vulnerable to this kind of negativity. You could see him visibly upset during several vote-off shows. Although he's probably thrilled to be on the show, I'm sure it can't feel great to know that people are saying such horrible things about you. This kind of media scrutiny can really damage a young person, and I question why no one has taken the responsibility to tone it down.

It's understandable that many viewers are upset because their favorites are getting voted off, but Sanjaya cannot be blamed, as this happens in every season He is just doing his thing, can sing better than most of us can, and it is unfortunate that he has to share his spotlight with so much negativity and hatred plaguing his spot. This one contestant has basically sparked a national controversy, even leading one viewer to go on a hunger strike until he was voted off. But because he has stayed on for so long, she had to start eating again. How horrible would it have been for the Era of Sanjaya to cause a human casualty?

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