You flip on the morning news, and I don't care what coast you live on, or which news channel you watch, but you see and hear nothing but Don Imus Don Imus Don Imus and I can't help but wonder- why does this story deserve a solid week of front page news?
Sure, America has positioned itself as the most moral and stand-up country in the universe, which is absurd, but really, I think there are better things to talk about. Yes, what he said was insensitive, and perhaps he deserved to be fired from his network job, and maybe join his fellow free-speech shock jocks on satellite radio, but all of that information could have been reduced to a single 5 minute blurb. Is Don Imus the VOICE OF HIS GENERATION? I think not.
There is still a war. Global warming is still happening. People in Africa are still dying of aids and starvation and being massacred in civil wars. It sickens me the way Iraq stories are presented: A suicide bomb went off in Parliament today. No AMERICANS were killed. Oh, well thank goodness. I was worried for a second there.
Anna Nicole Smith was on pills. You think? Britney Spears is in rehab. For what, for shaving her head? for suffering through numerous PUBLIC divorces and getting pregnant and hearing 100,000,000 comments about her weight and looks? getting pictures taken of her crotch as she exits a limo plastered all over Good Morning America? You'd be in rehab too.
But none of this trivia is news.
If you want to hear anything about what decisions are actually being made about the running of the country or how World Bank Pesident Wolfowitz is cutting aid to impoverished countries because of corruption when he went and got himself involved in salary negotions for known friends of his, you have to go to talk radio, or by goodness- READ NEWSPAPERS.
It seems to me very few people actually try to find out more about the world than the talking heads on tv spoon feed them in the 15 minutes between their showers and morning coffee. People don't vote, and if they do vote, they are uneducated votes along party lines or by name recognition alone.
Priorities, people- celebrities come and go, public figures say stupid things, and make and ruin careers in a matter of days. Big things are afoot that will affect you and your children, and you won't even know.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
3 comments:
Quite a rant there. But you made some good points. I feel the same way. The media is all about mass coverage of anything and to what end? What purpose does knowing the intimate fractions of time a person spends during any given day have to be interesting to watch? But I guess another question on this is; Has our scoiety become more voyeuristic since the advent of the information age? Could be people want to know everything they can about everyone?
Nice post there! The only reason I read it was because you mentioned Don Imus and I thought you would be shedding more light on this awe-inspiring subject, but alas, you fooled me! (Tongue firmly planted in cheek.)
This world has a lot to figure out, that's for sure. Prioritization is not one of our top priorities... or something like that.
"Be the change you want to see in the world"... I guess.
Start reading and stop watching television. Or start complaining to advertisers about what programming they associate their products with. Broadcasting moguls pay attention to nothing but a threat to their income.
Post a Comment