To begin with, I will compare the news with a story.
What do we like in a good book or film? Drama, killing, sex, crime, drugs, swearing, police, risk, fear, violence - all these things serve to turn a boring story into an entertaining one. This is not only true for books and films, but also for documentaries, TV news and the newspapers.
To be fair, we only have ourselves to blame: the media outlets know that we will not buy their papers or watch their channels unless they give us a decent story.
Who really wants to hear about nice people having a nice time in a nice world? It doesn't make us go to the movies, nor does it make us watch the news.
Therefore, we pay attention to shock tactics and scary stories.
Ironically, this paints our picture of the world: we think the world is a total mess because of all the disastrous news events, which, in turn, are only being presented to us for our entertainment.
There is plenty of good in the world; however, it is not entertainingly good.
Thus, in entertaining us, the news also bends our picture of reality, teaching us that all is violence, bloodshed and crime.
And it does that because it's what we want to hear about.
So, yes, the media sells us stories of horror which serve to distort or amplify our view of how messed up the world is; yet it does so because we would not watch or read it if they did not do so; they're just trying to make a living.
They make what we are willing to pay for.
IRONIC.
That we think the world is so messed up because of the news, which is only telling us negative things because we want to hear them.
There is good; but there is not good that makes a story. That makes news.
Sad really. But don't blame the media, blame yourselves.
Posted by Intellectual on 2007-10-20 20:45:24 | Rating: n/a | Views: 71
Wow, you just turned my brainstorming brain into a pretzel! Oy veh! Intel. You are on a trail I too have looked down. This issue of the media. While in all what you say is essentially correct, it does NOT make ME have ANY interest in the media. I have not watched the news often BECAUSE of what they choose to sell. I am sick of the every day commercial and the bad news.
Even if a movie or story is boring if it doesn't have some sort of conflict or obstacle to overcome or mystery to solve...a movie, in the end, is a MOVIE. And, we are supposed to be going to the movies to get away from life and delve into a different world...a world we come out of, shake it off and get back to reality. That is why it scares me to think some of the movies they make only inspire people to say, "Hey, I can do that in real life!" It makes me think that it's a BAD idea to imagine such things into movies or books. To imagine a monster may bring the monster to life.
I think the world needs to know the good news and only the issues affecting them that are fact and now. We don't need to know gas went up 4 cents at 5am and then down 5 cents at 2pm...we don't need to know there is war in some country where we don't have soldiers and we don't need to get involved in any other wars at all.
The news and gossip shows need to stop turning those around me into nervous fuming wrecks spewing crap about all the devestation going on and complaints about life. Turn the dial to SUNNY AND PLEASANT and give people a reason to try and succeed and NOT be afraid. There is enough fear and hate in the world which is NOT helping anyone. If you need to know what ugly chain that leads to, listen to Yoda in the Star Wars prequels(Ch 1-3).
