It seems this week that one story outshines the rest. Tiger Woods is high lighted for something other that his latest golf achievement. Yet another celebrity many have looked to for high moral standards is rumored to have done something to disappoint the masses. That is if we are to believe every word the news media writes or speaks. How much of what is delivered by media can we rely on to be true?
Furthermore, of those stories that may be true, how much is
really our business? It seems celebrities and people in important positions are
held to a much higher standard by the world. Many would argue that they should
be. But
why? They are people just like you and me. Should their career
choice condemn them to a life under the public's microscope? After all, they
are human and they will probably screw up sooner or later. But it just seems the mainstream media focus
is harsh on some, while giving others a pass.
Mel Gibson - - DWI / Harsh.
Patrick Kennedy - - DWI / less Harsh.
O.J. Simpson - - Wife's death / Harsh
Robert Wagner - - Wife's death / less Harsh
William Shatner - - Wife's death / less Harsh
We are all human and humans make mistakes. Complete perfection describes only one and that would be Jesus Christ. I have to wonder if He were still in the form of man today, how the media would spin the stories to tarnish His name.
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What gives a writer or publisher the right to use words to harm others? Any more, we, the public must sift through the news and examine it carefully for signs of media manipulation. It didn't used to be that way. We used to be able to rely on an accurate and unbiased report of news. I find myself, any more, avoiding the newspaper or the evening news. After all, is it really important that I know the specifics of every murder that took place within a 50 mile radius last night?
Okay, you say Celebrity so and so seems to appear he's stepping out on his wife. Is that really any of my business? Obviously whether or not the story is true, that family is going to have a hard time navigating that situation. Do they need the whole world watching? Too much of what comes across from the media is not uplifting.
Even in a small town like DeSoto, where I live, the bad news often travels faster than the good news. It's gonna take everyone working together to change this pattern. Maybe if a particular source of news insists on informing us of only the bad and not balancing the scale with the good, we should consider finding a new source. Since when has anyone been declared blameless in their life? How can we call attention to the wrong in others if we ourselves are not perfect? Do we really have the right to pick up that stone and throw it at our fellow man? Americans as a whole need to get back to the values in life that are important. Kindness to others, loving them and treating them as we would want to be treated. I know gossip and sensationalism sell, but that's because we buy it and watch it.
How many times have any on of us passed on a story that may harm someone just because that's what we read or heard? Truth is being stretched and distorted these days, but it cannot be destroyed. No matter how it is hidden and disguised, it will be shouted from the rooftops eventually. The writers and publishers of this day and age need to give the good of the world a chance to be heard and stop pushing it to the back of the shelf to make room for those stories that only rob us of hope for the future. And we need to stop letting them!
12.05.09 // 1800 // UTiliX-CO // arr
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