Media Rant

[Vichtor]

If you are easily offended, I'm asking politely, please do not read this thread. I don't know how it may be taken.

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I?m sick and tired of the media. They latch on to the most gruesome thing they can find, then hash and rehash it across the nation as much as they can, underscoring the ?horrific nature? and ?terrible tragedy? of the event.

Seriously; what good does this do?

None, except for their ratings, which is the point I suppose. All they are doing is playing to the carnal nature of humans to see something horrible. Sure, what they are saying about the act itself is true?it was horrific, it was tragic, but 90% of the people saying that feel nothing of the sort. They watch and give attention for one reason: to satisfy their primal curiosity about death.

Of course these same people will look at you in shock if you mention that to them and say things like ?How can you say such things, it?s a horrible tragedy!? or ?You?re a bad person, how can you not feel for those people after such a horrific event.?

Maybe I AM a bad person. But I?m not a part of that event. I?m not tied to it in any way; I am an outsider looking in to see something that is an abstract situation. I?ve never been affected in that way, I can?t relate to what is happening there. I don?t feel bad about it nor do I feel happy about it. For me to say things like ?horrible tragedy? and ?Horrific act of violence? would carry about as much weight as saying ?blue sky? or ?wet water?. Anyone who tries to tell you otherwise is either lying to themselves or to you, or maybe both.

The media preys on this for ratings. Let me say that again so it sinks in. Not for the humane aspect, not to personify the pain these families and friends are sure to feel, there is no executive producer anywhere right now saying ?I want this to be a message, I want it to make an impression to the world so everyone else can see what kind of pain this causes.? No?they are saying ?how can we focus on this to keep people?s attention. How can we boost our ratings? Who can we get an exclusive with that will reveal something no one else has seen, that will shock the nation into watching US?? Ratings. That?s all it?s about to them, and by focusing on that, and by pushing through half-truths and flawed information as fast as they can they serve only to create this false sense of guilt, not grief, not understanding.

And then the finger-pointing starts. Because with all of this attention, misdirected as it is, there HAS to be a cause, something that can be blamed. Because we can?t accept that maybe, just MAYBE, this person was unstable all on his own. That he actively CHOSE to do what he did?no, that can?t be possible in our society, so we look for something or someone to blame. Let?s blame whoever sold him the gun, let?s blame video games, let?s blame his parents, and let?s blame the people around him. But for God?s sake, don?t dare step up and say ?Hey?maybe we should blame the guy that DID it?? Because the backlash from facing what we as humans are capable of would somehow prevent us from hiding from it. Pushing that out into the open that an individual is responsible for their own actions, no, that goes against everything we?ve come to rely on in our society.

The only thing this has really done is prove, yet again, how the human race?s attention is still commanded not by news of enlightenment, but by self-destruction and death. Beneath our fa?ade of civilization and high society, we still bow to our darker side, and odds are, we always will.

[GodBeastX]

Alright, Vichtor, I'll bite.

Giving the media the finger for trying to get ratings to stupid to me. Why? It's like giving a video game company the finger for putting their best screenshots for a game out there. Media needs to make money too, and I'm sorry, but stories about Bakeries opening up around the corner is not interesting to the masses.

While you say "The media is to blame!" you basically admit to the fact that this story caused you to pay attention to what the media presented. You watched, you listened, and did exactly what they wanted. So did the rest of America or whoever else pays attention. So is it the Media's fault America told them "Show less positive stories and more gore!" I'm sure they'd be happy to write more positive stories if people would read them, they're generally less expensive to cover. While the blame for killings rests with the guy who did it, the blame for media ratings rests with the people who watch it.

Therefore, when people stop craving violence and wrong acts as a means of entertainment, then the media will stop entertaining people with them.

[GDwarf]

Try looking at it this way: Any media station that doesn't pander to the masses goes out of business, fast. That puts the blame squarely on human nature.

If a (say) car dealership only sold solar-powered cars, you could applaud them for saving the environment, but it's up to people to actually buy the cars. You can't blame the dealership for not staying in business if no one buys anything.

[Autumn]

There is one aspect of the media's tendency to go on and on about an event that you may have overlooked. When an event does involve you, you may find you want to hear everything about it, all day long.

When I had to flee my hometown due to Hurricane Katrina, I was glued to the television for weeks. I just wanted to know if my house was still there. I was grateful the media spent as much time as they did covering the event, because it was relevant to me.

I'm assuming your post was brought on by yesterday's shooting in Virginia. I would imagine that if I lived near there, I would want to hear as much about the events as possible.

Perhaps if you don't want to watch coverage of certain events, you could just try using your remote? I'm not trying to be sarcastic, I just don't understand why this has you so annoyed.

[Vichtor]

While the rant does target the media, I'm not leaving the blame on them. It goes to us to. It's stated that what they show is what we WANT to see, but at the same time, we (humans) want to be so hypocritcal about it.

I'm at work, I voiced my opinion that I couldn't care less about that shooting. It doesn't have anything to do with me...and I get jumped by a handful of people asking how I can be so callous and such a jerk. I ask them how that has impacted their lives, and other than giving them something to watch on TV...they couldn't give me a single good answer.

The blame lies with people. Media is run by people.

And you fell into the same trap. About two months ago, there was a huge earthquake in the Phillipines; hundreds were killed. It got passing media coverage. Huge Tornado in OKC about 5 years back....two days of media coverage (killed almost 100).

Shooting in Virginia; going on two days of non-stop coverage. People will shrug off the two examples above saying they don't have anything to do with us...there's nothing that could have been done.

How is this shooting any different for everyone else on the planet other than those people on that campus?

It's not. That's my point more than anything. People want to use this for personal gain more than anything because it's "big" and it's an opprotunity. I'm just got through watching the ceremony held on the campus to morne the loss....what I saw was three different religious groups stand up and say how they were better than each other because of what they were doing to mourne. It was ridiculous. I got to see the speech made by the governer of the state, which was pure BS about how he cried all night long, as he spoke without skipping a beat, and not a red or puffy eye on him.

My biggest thing is how people are vultures, the Media is just feeding from that, and being fed by it. I'm one voice, I won't make a huge difference in the embedded nature of Human beings...but that doesn't mean I have to be happy about it.

[Jhiroth]

The Media.

Is truly the most powerful weapon on earth. Good thing they don't pander to their political interests *wry*.

For Vichtor - Just stop reading man, just stop. The small amount of knowledge you glean at the cost of your sanity is not worth the tradeoff. I speak from experience here, sadly.

[Autumn]

There is no doubt that humans love seeing death and destruction, unless it involves someone or something they love. But again, I don't see what's wrong with people giving us what we want for profit. What's the difference between the news covering violent stories and Hollywood spitting out hundreds of retarded action movies a month? Both are out for profit.

I know, I know. You're going to say, "But the media is using the misfortune of REAL people to make a profit. Well, so what? You already said you don't care about events that are not relevant to you.

The televised news has never been the best source of objective, informative information about our world. If you're looking for that, I suggest a real newspaper, like The New York Times. From a literary standpoint, it's one of the best, and stories are not repeated over and over on every single page. Read about it once, wait until tomorrow.

Anyway, I applaud you for coming out and voicing your opinion, knowing you were probably going to get grief about it. Yay, freedom of speech!!!

[Haroshia]

It sounds to me like your rant is a condemnation of MASS media, but not Media as a whole. Media isn't inherently bad. This forum could be seen as Media dealing with a specific subject. The problem is Media that is corporately owned and governmentally regulated and controlled.

Ignore your TV, throw CNN and Faux news out the window, and start getting media from other sources. Read blogs...lots and lots of blogs. Hit up many many websites. Try to find the truth beyond just what's shown through a tiny filter, and maybe draw your own conclusions.

We're living in an amazing age now where everybody's a potential journalist, and everybody can voice their opinion. Just keep in mind every story has three sides to it

1. One guy's side
2. The other guy's side
3. The truth

[Jhiroth]

Agree.

The blame lies with people. Media is run by people.

Well, I will agree with GBX that the media puts out a product they think people will buy. The problem is that that type of thinking leads to sensationalistic stories with no real care for accuracy or content. They put out louder and more vulgar stories in hopes of driving sales ever higher. Bigger, badder to them means bigger, badder profits.

My biggest thing is how people are vultures, the Media is just feeding from that, and being fed by it. I'm one voice, I won't make a huge difference in the embedded nature of Human beings...but that doesn't mean I have to be happy about it.

The media to me is the single greatest hypocrisy (even greater then government) that I have ever seen. I'd go off on some ridiculous rant but the truth is the media controls the stupid people on Earth who believe that the media word is God. There is not a single entity on Earth that oversees Media content. Look at magazines like the National Enquirer, the Star, etc. They frequently publish content that they are 100% is false. Only when someone actually successfully sues them do they issue a retraction. What this means is the media can say "Vichtor is a pedophile". Only you winning a case in court, against specific organizations, can you begin to get them to issue a retraction. Duke lacrosse players anyone? Richard Jewett(sp?) anyone?

You can say penis on TV now? Don't thank Lorena Bobbitt, thank the Media lawyers who argued it was 'News'. Sick of the (insert watercooler topic here) you see on TV? Legions of motion wielding lawyers are prepared to claim the protection of "Free-speech" the minute you dare to question their integrity.

Dewey defeats Truman anyone?

[Vichtor]

One last thing; the true cause of my rant, really.

And it's actually two seperate things.

I like facts....but somewhere media stopped being about facts, and became a race for ratings. Did you know the death count was altered five times by three seperate sources before it became the 33 it is now?

Did you know the calibur and number of handguns changed twice and one (respectively) before they became the "standard" of what is being reported now?

Did you know the location changed twice?

I work in a communications company. I get to see every angle at the same time, and it's nothing more than a race. If you were affected by this. Wouldn't you want the truth? Not a guess, no matter how educated?

Secondly, I'm not affected by this. I'm just not. Like I said in my post, I'm an outsider looking in. I have no feelings toward it, it doesn't affect me and I can't relate to it. I admit that. I said that out loud, and the people around me instantly dug in about how I was a bad person. A bad person for understanding that there is no impact to me? A bad person for being unable to relate to an act like that? I thought it just made me blissfully ignorant of that kind of emotional trauma...silly me.

[valenator]

I'm at work, I voiced my opinion that I couldn't care less about that shooting. It doesn't have anything to do with me...and I get jumped by a handful of people asking how I can be so callous and such a jerk. I ask them how that has impacted their lives, and other than giving them something to watch on TV...they couldn't give me a single good answer.

What those people couldn't express when you put them on the spot was empathy. There are some of us that feel genuine sorrow and sympathy for victims of tragedy.

For those of religious faith, it stimulates you to pray for the friends and families of the slain and injured. It also starkly reminds us of our own mortality, and for those of us at Universities, it reminds us that not every person walking our campus is of sound mind or intent, and it challenges us to go about our daily lives with faith in our fellow man despite the possibilities of maliciousness.

You can't understand the desire to learn and discuss distant tragedy because you neither take pleasure in their loss, nor do you empathize with it. However, for those of us who can and do regret the pains and misfortunes of others, we answer your question to ourselves daily.

[Haroshia]

How has it impacted my life?

I'm a gamer with an asian girlfriend, who is also a gamer. I knew as soon as I heard about this my hobby would be under attack, and hoped to god this wasn't used as some kind of platform for launching hate against Asians.

As for the individuals? Well there's an empathy I feel for all of them, but gods help me I learned a long time ago I can't take the suffering of the whole world on myself. It makes me sick to think it happened, because I want to hope in the good in people, and moments like this make me question my mindset.

Forgive me Vichtor, but you sound like the type of person pissed at the pain and suffering in the world, and pissed you can't do anything about it. You think people's pain is false, and yours that you do feel is the only genuine pain, but you feel guilty about it because you didn't know them. It's natural for human beings to feel badly for other human beings, even if you just hear about them, and it is only passing. I'm not going to pretend this tragedy is mine, but I am going to say i feel some degree of empathy for the families of those involved.

I've lost loved ones too in the past...many people have.

[Vichtor]

If I'm "unable" to empathize, and subsequently uncaring about the event. DOES that make me a bad person?

Yes, it is a tragedy, yes it was horrific; no, I'm not going to dwell on it. IS that bad? Am I somehow less of a person for not feeling some sort of compassion or empathy for people I cannot relate to over an event I've never experianced and cannot begin to understand the way it impacts those involved?

[Ithildin]

Am I somehow less of a person for not feeling some sort of compassion or empathy for people I cannot relate to over an event I've never experianced and cannot begin to understand the way it impacts those involved?

Some people who have lost family or friends, can relate and can understand the impacts. Yes it has no real affect on those who weren't invovled but some do know what its like to lose someone, so they can actually feel bad about it happening.

Also as godbeast stated you have done exactly what they wanted, you watched and did pay attention, you created a thread on forums bringing the subject even more attention, so ever though your ranting against them you providing them some good advertisement.

[GDwarf]

What those people couldn't express when you put them on the spot was empathy. There are some of us that feel genuine sorrow and sympathy for victims of tragedy.

I'm trying to figure out how to say this, and I apologize if I come off as really harsh, but could you please lose the "holier-then-thou" attitude? Not being to empathize with the victims doesn't make you a bad person. Nor did Vichtor ever say that he was incapable of feeling genuine sorrow.

As-is your entire post seems like you lording your morals over others. If this is not the case then I sincerely apologize, but if you are, stop.

You can't understand the desire to learn and discuss distant tragedy because you neither take pleasure in their loss, nor do you empathize with it. However, for those of us who can and do regret the pains and misfortunes of others, we answer your question to ourselves daily.

I don't empathize with them. Or rather, in a way I do, and if I actually knew the people I would be upset now, but to me they're just numbers that people keep throwing about. If I stop and think about the people, then there is a twinge of empathy.

However, the media harping on the event is sickening. I know why they do so, and it makes sense, but that doesn't make it any less annoying.

Also, I'd imagine that if you feel empathy for the dead you'd be sickened by the media attention, but evidently I'm wrong.