Recently
the community of Boston suffered an immense tragedy, before that, Newtown, CT and prior to that, Aurora, CO . Unfortunately after these events,
the media has attempted to victimize the rest of the nation under the guise of
the public’s right to know.
I
am glad that I live in a country with a free press. I believe it is truly a
blessing for society in order to provide a system of checks and balances to
protect the citizenry against potential abuses by government. Certainly, the
founding fathers recognized this as a needed aspect necessary to ensure a
democracy.
The
underbelly of this freedom however, is license to report anything and
everything regardless of the relevancy and impact on the public. Why print, broadcast,
and cyber media find it necessary to overwhelm the public and beat it
relentlessly down with tales of tragedy so distant from home that it has little
impact on our lives until the media makes it so, is an unanswered question. Or
perhaps the answer is the bottom line. Media is, after all, a business
attempting to make a profit.
Not
only was I stunned by the news of the Boston event, but even more so when a broadcast
station announced that on their evening news that same night they would examine
whether something like that could happen here. I did not expose myself to that
particular evening display but I wonder..... even though many things are
possible, is it probable or likely that such a tragedy would happen here. It
would seem that the media is suggesting that it could happen anywhere. But is
that true? On what basis is it true since at the time we had no idea of the
structure and reason for the bombing. What are the criteria necessary for this
kind of horror to occur? Certainly, you need more than simply disaffected youth
with access to weaponry. In our society, that might apply to the majority of young
people.
I
suspect we will have heard from the surviving victims, the families of the
victims, the friends of the families of the victims, distant relatives, local
political and educational spokespeople, and the surrounding professional
experts who will proffer their speculations about reasons, all the while the
media constantly keeping the story in our awareness. Why is it necessary to
report so frequently, thoroughly, intimately, and constantly? I suppose defenders
of the coverage will state that the public has a right to know and we need to
learn lessons from the tragedy.
I
can’t help but think that this rationale for coverage arises from the bottom
feeders who thrive on the genre of programming that gives us TMZ, Jerry
Springer, Honey Boo Boo, Jersey Shore, and the like and the world’s most
amazing car crashes, police busts, attacking animals, strange incidents, and
catastrophes. Perhaps we’ve become a nation of voyeurs seeking our nourishment
by vicariously feeding off the adversity of others.
If
it is true, as some suppose, that youngsters are so vulnerable and easily
influenced by rock musicians, song lyrics, movies, radical religion, and just about anything that
opposes and dis-poses the status quo, why would we allow the media to bring
such tragic and perverse stories into our homes and schools? People can become
traumatized not only by experiencing and witnessing traumatic events but also
by hearing about trauma. Is it possible that the media has a responsibility not
to report?
I
encourage readers to reduce their amount of exposure to the news media. If you
must, browse newspapers, listen to friends and colleagues to find out what’s
happening. It adds to our daily stresses to hear calamitous stories from around
the world and be powerless to act upon them. We victimize ourselves when we do
this. Press the OFF button. If a story has a direct effect on your life, trust
me, you will hear about it. When we constantly place ourselves in victimized
positions, we become impotent, disenchanted, tortured souls, vulnerable to
numbing out and losing our passion and compassion for living. In an effort to
reclaim power we often adopt the position that somehow we are owed relief from
bad fortune, given all that we have had to take in through other’s misfortunes.
I’m thinking here of the obscene advertising motto of a personal injury law
firm which urges you to call them “when life is unfair.”
Although
we are guaranteed by our Declaration of Independence the right to pursue
happiness, we are not guaranteed happiness. We seem to believe that we deserve
happiness. I’m sorry but that “ain’t gonna happen.” Unfairness is part and
parcel of the Great Round. Misfortune, error, bad luck, flaw, failure, etc.,
make up at least half of our lives. We receive enough of this in our own
experience, there’s no need to let the media dump more and victimize us
further. Our own circumstances and events contribute to the establishment of
character, engender a respect for fate, and inspire humility. Honor your own
suffering, embrace it, welcome it when it knocks on your door, and your life
will grow to contain less yearning and more contentment. Don’t rob others of
their sorrow. Don’t steal their pain for your own passion.
Visit me at www.AstroCare.net
Visit me at www.AstroCare.net