I would like to take this time to apologize to the men and women of the United States military. This is not satire. I am deeply remorseful.
I honestly forgot there were two wars being fought.
I have become everything an honest American and self-aware human being should never be: shiftless and complacent. I have relied upon the home screen of CNN.com to educate me as to the condition of the world. What I have received is a second-to-second update on all things Haiti. I think there was a bit about "Avatar" and maybe something about Mark McGwire admitting to steroid use. You know: the important stuff.
The Haitian earthquake crisis is a global tragedy, to be sure. I cannot imagine a worse fate than to be the only surviving member of my family due to an unforeseen natural disaster; immediately thrust from relative joviality to abject nothingness by the mere shaking of the ground; and surrounded by neighbors in the same state of affairs with little or no hope … I shudder at the thought.
But what else happened in the world? Surely something closer to our national interests has happened since Jan. 13; some sports controversy or an adulterous senator — this is America for crying out loud!
As a reminder to some, there are two wars being fought in Afghanistan and Iraq. I would think that this would still be prominent on the news landscape. We are still in the midst of a recession and although things seem to be better, how about some news to accompany that fact.
There was a key election in the great state of Massachusetts that could use some face time at Ye Olde Water Cooler. Not to mention it is Super Bowl season: where are all the advertisers?
It would seem that all that matters in the world is that the ground shook in Haiti and we are helping. I say help away. I've sent money and clothes, Hollywood has rallied along with the rest of the world's nations and organizations that are able, and we have all seen the news corresponding to these facts. It has apparently been the only thing newsworthy in over a week.
The "news" has become Caesar during the games at the Coliseum, taking its cues on what to air or print based upon the sentiment of the fickle crowd and ad revenue. I say "thumbs down." There is one area where I think democracy should not reign, and that is in the dissemination of the news. I want the news to tell me what is going on not because it sells but because "that's the way it was."
The truth is that the information is out there if I was to but look for it, but it seems, as my actions indicate, that I would rather be spoon-fed my news rather than investigate for myself. How many of you feel the same way?
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