We Needed To See The Horror
Did anyone see “Charity Activist” Heather Mills fall down last night on Dancing With The Stars? (And for the most part, the fact that Heather Mills is a self-proclaimed “charity activist” ends the non-profit angle of today’s blog.) I must admit that I saw her tumble (the leg stayed on), but my question is why? And by this I mean not why was I watching it (in my defense I was just flipping by, and furthermore, I am an idiot), but why was I allowed to by ABC?
8 short years ago, 12 kids and a teacher were murdered in Columbine, in a tragedy that, until yesterday, was impossible to imagine could have been worse. And I know that story ran late into the night on network television, because I was working for the federal government and on assignment at the time, and in a place where I could only receive broadcast television, not cable. I watched until 3 a.m., unable to shake the horror and the fear for those children and their families. And yet, yesterday, in a shooting that dwarfs that tragedy in terms of sheer numbers, the dancing had to go on.
In eight years, our network television companies have devolved to the point where the deadliest shooting rampage in American history isn’t sufficient to bump regularly scheduled programming from our airwaves.
I think this is wrong. I was bumped from a newscast last week because they had to go all Imus, all the time and my story (about another charity) couldn't compete. Please tell me that Imus and the kids from Rutgers aren’t a bigger story than what happened in
32 people died at an institution of higher learning yesterday morning because they had the audacity to seek out knowledge instead of playing hooky, and we get a tango gone bad. I know that most people have cable, and that the networks are in the business of being businesses, and that in the end, they only give the people what they wanted, but I wish my networks had the courage to give the people what they needed last night, not what they wanted.
Labels: ABC, Columbine, Dancing with the Stars, Don Imus, Heather Mills, Virginia Tech
posted by Trent Stamp at 7:39 AM
13 Comments:
well said, trent. thanks.
I can't help but think that the constant Iraq war casualties have numbed us to large numbers of deaths. We've consistently ignored huge numbers of deaths there...although they're usually not Americans.
We're not conditioned to deal with this sort of information anyway--we're much better suited to understand stories about individual people. That's why, however trite it was, Dancing with the Stars connected with people in a way that the news coverage of this tragedy did not.
As the stories of individuals come out of the numerical sterility we have now, expect to see more coverage and interest.
I disagree. What happened yesterday is tragic. It will be seered into my head and most others for life. What I needed last night was a break. A break from reality. Watching someone fall on their tush provided that, even if the moment was fleeting. The cable news networks are paying it the attention it deserves, as are the networks. Broadcasting live constantly doesn't give us additional info, it just makes us madder that we don't have more news.
Give us a break, let us remember how to laugh in times of tragedy, it helps the healing process.
For Trent, I think you said it best.... for bob and anonymous 2, I am disappointed that you think that because we are not conditioned to deal with stories of tragedy, that we should be let off the hook. Americans choose not to acknowledge the crises in their own country as well as throughout the world far too often. They would rather focus on the individual "drama" of some reality television program which is not acceptable... Death should not be brushed off that simply. For someone who says they need a "break from reality" I think you need to truly examine how much you feel on an average day for the reality you choose to avoid. How often do you worry about the soldiers in Iraq, the victims of genocide, and the millions dying from preventable or curable diseases? Yes, the world is faced with so many overwhelming problems that we cannot focus every minute of our lives on them, but is it so much to ask for a television network to at least give 24 hours to a tragedy that occurs within our own country?
I never said I want to avoid reality, but we all need breaks. I have had friends die in Iraq, I lived through the attack on the Pentagon on 9/11. I have many friends that are VT grads. I have been watching coverage on VT all day and my eyes are swollen from crying. My heart feels so heavy and I want to grieve with the families and friends. But for one hour each day, whether it be a frivolous reality TV show, a cooking show or a home shopping network, isn't it nice to have a choice? Sometimes turning off the TV makes the silence deafening.
Watching TV coverage of an event where there is no new information forthcoming and only superficial analysis by talking heads is nothing more than a frustrating exercise in futility. It does not make one a better person, help one deal with the situation, or assist those who have been directly affected. Sorry to see you make such a ridiculous post, Trent. Next time, just turn the TV off. You can do that, too, you know?
trent - thanks for the perspective. very well said as usual.
i agree, marc. well said. a touching post trent, i forgive you for straying from the charity path. and i find the post not to be "ridiculous" as patrick says, but extremely relevant. last i heard, around 15% of all of america's citizens have neither cable nor satellite. i bet that many of them, if given the choice, would have preferred to have the tragic news than to watch that stupid dancing show.
I happened to also see Heather Mills tumble on the show that is the rage - I was embarrassed, uncomfortable and changed the station. I later went back to the dance show at the end and heard the man who was dismissed suggest that the judges chill out a bit and realize that those who are participating in the contest are doing so for the challenge, recognition and because they are "celebrities" - I didn't know who this man was, but I appreciated his words. He went on to say that the celebrities don't want to be American Idols, they want to do their best and that the judges words are hurtful, but then he sorted of two-stepped and congratulated them for doing such a great job as judges. We can interpret this on a few levels, one is that the celebrities want to be seen and will dance their hearts out to meet this end, the other is that they will risk the vitriol of being judged publicly in order to be seen, and lastly, the public wants to see celebrities be judged, as well as dance, wear fantastic costumes, and the harsh feedback is part of what is entertaining.
As you mentioned, Trent, while this was happening on tv the community at VA Tech was reeling from their new reality. The lessons to be learned from that horrifying attack are so vitally important. The leadership from their President, down to the visible cohesion of the real community that spans 28,000 people was so moving. Through this sad, terrifying event came evidence that caring communities exist. People reaching out for one another, focusing on the real issues and tragedy as opposed to throwing blame and spewing meanness. As we watch this unfold and see the community grieve, respect their hurting community members, reach out to each other for support, the rest of us can recognize the significance of what a place like VA Tech brings to its members. Through its disaster its members cared for each other. It will be this non-judgmental ability to assess the situation, learn from mistakes, help everyone recover, and selflessly move forward in their new reality. This experience will connect these people in a way that will forever be a part of their world. But, it appears that this aspect of humanity may not generate the same ratings as a focus on terror, and embarrassing celebrities.
I do feel that at some point we overload on news and may require dancing as a means of simple, min-numbing entertainment.
It will be interesting to see how the media continues to cover the massacre - will they focus on the simple aspects of how communities can support and help their members or the individual heroes that saved lives? Or, will they focus on the one hideous man who was sick and sordid and ruined so many lives? Or, will we just focus on these unknown celebrities in fabulous costumes waiting to be torn apart by these judges who sole purpose is to be mean enough to generate more viewers in an effort to sell more hand soap or toilet paper, or whatever is being sold during commercial time?
Is any fund being set up to support victims and families who may need financial help with burial expenses, travel costs, student loan payments, etc?
Yes, there is. It's called the Hokie Spirit Memorial Fund. http://www.vt.edu/tragedy/memorial_fund.php
I have been avoiding watching the news myself and not because I do not feel the event was a tragedy. But I get tired of what I feel is exploitation of the event for ratings and more ad revenue. The network news stations are jostling to be the first to give new news, often at the expense of saying nothing or posing scenarios that aren't facts.
I would have much rather have had the few facts known interspersed with times of silence and respect for the dead. But the news programs don't understand quiet respect.
mlI agree with Patrick, I find it interesting that you, Trent, take the time to criticize TV stations for broadcasting Dancing with the Stars, yet YOU were watching it.
To Molly, just because someone doesn't spend 23 hours a day watching tragic events on TV or thinking about death and destruction, doesn't mean they aren't concerned. I choose not to inundate myself with bad news because IT WILL ALWAYS HAPPEN. Not to mention that a human being cannot physically, mentally or emotionally handle a great amount of stress/negative thought ona daily basis. That's why we have defense mechanisms.
Everyone makes their own decisions and cannot be told what they "should" be watching, thinking, feeling etc. We can't project ourselves onto others.
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