My heart goes out to this mans family. I'm feeling just plain nut-bags for even watching this stuff. Craig has the same job as this man.
Staff Sgt. Derek Farley Dies Disarming IED.
The first time I watched this I got about 10 seconds in before I just couldn't stand the stupid look on the newscaster's smug face. The second time I watched it was even shorter. I finally got through the whole thing today. It made me so angry. Maybe I'm just an angry person in general.
It's interesting to me that there was once a time I could think objectively about these kinds of news stories. I could watch them and think how sad it is for the man's parents, family, girlfriend. How strong they are all being. But it wouldn't register for me. I was completely disconnected from it, as are so many Americans. I feel like stories like this are evidence of that disconnection. There they are, the grieving parents, stoic as statues. Playing the part that they think their son would play. Acting the way they think he would behave. And they're probably right. Soldiers are some phlegmatic motherfuckers. It serves a purpose in there lives. Emotion is messy. When your life depends on focus that mess is a luxury.
Why do we do this sort of thing? It seems like torture to put these people's very real grief on display like it's inspirational or entertainment. Forcing these poor people to recount the last memories and present the last mementos of their son for a viewing audience. The segment is far too short to really honor the pain. I guess we really don't want to do it justice, it would make us all feel far too guilty. I think that is why I hate this story. It makes those people who have lost a love one relive their sorrow, those like me, who have someone still in danger sick with fear and leaves those without direct connection relatively unmoved. It's a lose, lose, lose situation. I don't know what the answer is but with a 24 hours of news a day I know we have the time and resources to do better.
I agree, babe. I can't stand to watch the news because most of it, at the end of the day, is really about titillating the viewer or somehow making us feel smug in our illusions of security and control.
ReplyDeleteDawn
These people seemed very grateful for every second they could get to talk about their son, which is more than most receive. Much like you, writing this blog, they have made a decision to share their emotions, no matter where on the spectrum they may fall. By smearing the viewer and the network, I can't help but feeling like you are smearing these parents and... I don't even want to follow that line of thought out loud, because I know that's not your real intention. Just something to consider.
ReplyDeleteI couldn't disagree more. I feel these parents are grateful for the life and service of their son not for the opportunity to share it with a stranger or talk about it with an audience. I am not smearing the viewer or these parents. I am, however, angry with the network and television news in general. These "journalist" came to this family in a moment of shock and sought to capitalize on their grief. I don't believe that someone's honorable death saving that lives of others should be fluff or fuller and that is exactly what this network has made it. 3 Minutes to honor the life and death of this man and all the other men and women who died or where irreparably harmed on the same day. I don't think it's enough and I believe that too little can be worse than nothing.
ReplyDeleteAlso, don't go visiting my intentions. I, like any blogger am merely here to speak, hope to get people to think and at times, start a dialogue. Which brings me to my next point. If you going to post comments I ask that you leave your name and/or some contact information. I do have other anonymous' but they are people that I know who sign their names. It is not a dialogue if you are merely speaking at me. Thank you for your comment.