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Apr. 13, 2007 As a people, we Americans appear to be struggling to hold our focus on the issues which are most likely to have the largest impact on the continued success of our nation. We seem to spend the bulk of our time jumping from one contrived political "scandal" to another, giving it a degree of attention that should be reserved for matters which truly do have an impact on all of us. Each week, the media seems to find a new crisis that is thrust in our faces with such intensity that it becomes virtually impossible to ignore. Second tier Washington politicos become household names because of supposed crimes that most of us do not even begin to understand. The press intimates that some nefarious act was committed and that the stink runs even deeper than we believe. This will bring down the Administration! Generally, the allegations are backed up with little substance. When we're not focused on trumped up crimes of the "rich and powerful," we turn our attention to the rich and stupid. We appear to be more concerned with how Anna Nicole Smith lived and died than how we run our own lives. Parents are more interested in the fate of her baby than what their own kids are doing. And who is Angelina going to adopt this week and what does Brad think of it? Sometimes the "crisis" a story which the media can exploit to no end because it has the juicy drama we appear to crave. It was just about a year ago that the alleged gang-rape by Duke University athletes was foisted upon us by a media which is so anxious to capitalize on the "us versus them" mindset. Of course, in this instance it was rich white boys who had attacked a poor black woman. This is the kind of story which practically writes itself; it can keep the hungry press stocked with fresh meat for weeks if not months. Many in the media, even the faculty of Duke itself, had the boys tried and convicted before the slightest hint of evidence was revealed. What should have been a non story, relegated to local coverage and Section B of the local friendly was instead transformed into a national affair, a referendum on race relations. Endless print space and broadcast time was devoted to a common criminal case which would not have drawn one-quarter of the attention if it had been white on white or black on black. In the end, all charges were dropped for lack of any compelling evidence and multiple contradictions in the accuser's story, not to mention the significant evidence which directly countered her claims. The larger issue here should be the pursuit of why an overzealous prosecutor ignored any evidence which contradicted the charges being leveled and how the judicial process can protect the innocent from this kind of bogus activity in the future. With a few exceptions, the press seems bored with this angle though. Now we have the crisis du jour, Don Imus' comments on the Rutgers University womens basketball team and, again, the media (and others) has ballooned this into an issue with wide-sweeping meaning that must be addressed. To be true, Don Imus' comment was completely idiotic and, yes, even offensive and probably racist. Only someone with unmitigated hubris would say what he did on the air and believe there was no problem with it. Many media people tend to get more and more insulated in their own little worlds, though, and begin to believe that they are above it all, that they can say and do things that others cannot simply because of who they are. This arrogance has brought down a number of these folks over the years. By most accounts, Mr. Imus is a bitter and intolerant person. One would bet he has said equally offensive things on the air over his career, but this one actually got legs. The truth is Imus had every right to make the statement on his program. If he believes the Rutgers team is composed of "nappy headed hos" it is within his right to say so, however ignorant the statement may be. If he foolishly thought it would make for funny radio shtick, so be it. It is also well within the rights of his employers to fire him if they feel the comment was inappropriate, or even if they feel they will lose advertising revenue because of it. It's their business and they can hire and fire as they please. In the end, no crime was committed and there is no overwhelming impact to the country from a few words uttered by a cranky aging broadcaster who most of the Rutgers University basketball team likely did not even know existed before the comment was made. Let Imus apologize to Rutgers and the players, let NBC and CBS fire him, let the world think of him what it will. That should be it and we should be ready to move on to larger issues which impact this nation. Instead, we get press conferences held by the Rutgers basketball team letting us know how much they were offended and how wrong Imus is (as if we needed them to tell us). We get Imus appearances with Al Sharpton and other banal chatter, as he attempts to explain his idiocy. The collective media has fallen over itself once again to make this another referendum on racial relations and brazenly concludes that the country is a mess in this regard. (Since when does Don Imus speak for all, or even most, Americans? Since when does he speak even for most white Americans? Don Imus can barely speak for himself.) Once again we are in a lurch to draw broad conclusions from the actions of one individual. The circus is in full three-ring mode. The racism industry hucksters have surfaced making their own demands and stating that the firings should not end with Imus. Politicians have jumped into the fray, attempting to seize any public goodwill that can be gleaned from the madness. The governor of New Jersey, Jon Corzine, for crying out loud, was critically injured in a car accident while he was riding to referee a meeting between Imus and the Rutgers team. Does the governor of the great state of New Jersey really have nothing more vital going on? One thing is certain, when the next crisis of the moment (as determined by the mainstream press) rears its ugly head, public attention will move on from the Imus affair, just as it will move on from the Duke rape case or Anna Nicole or what the Bush twins did this week. Even if there is something to gain in terms of racial relations from the whole episode, it will be ignored or quickly forgotten. True progress is relatively boring when it is running up against the latest compelling drama. In the end, the media is not interested in moving issues forward in a meaningful way; it wants dirt, sleaze, controversy and funk. The media thrives on a continual stirring of emotions. When the energy from one issue fades, it must quickly find another to take its place. Ultimately, however, it is not up to the media or its individual members to ensure that we Americans stay focused on what is truly important. That responsibility lies with each of us. ------------ About the author: Ed Abraham is a concerned citizen living in flyover country, U.S.A., who happens to be truly disgusted by the loss of common sense in our society and is doing all he can to try to reinstall it. Email: eabra@myway.com Comment on this article here! ------------ All articles are EXCLUSIVE to Useless-Knowledge.com. Please link to this article rather than copying and pasting it onto your site (which would be unauthorized and illegal). |
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