One of the "flaws" I'd like you to point out in society as it is today truly affects all of us - from the all mighty powerful to children. I might not be able to express this as well as I'd like to, but here goes...I think the people of this nation (and perhaps, all people in the rest of the world but not to the same extent) have become increasingly ill (for lack of a better term) psychologically, emotionally and even spiritually. While we have not exactly done this to ourselves, we have let it "happen" to us.
      The media et al. has such manipulative power today and it has contaminated us. Every day we are exposed to the worst of being human - we are constantly fed "news" about how somebody was brutally raped or the atrocities of war or the mind games people play. We hear about how some people are disgusted with our government, refuse to abide by it and collect arms and ammo for the inevitable "civil" war. We hear stories of welfare cheats that results in unfairly clumping all people on welfare together. Etc. Etc. Etc. You get the picture. We are exposed to all the blood and guts, the scandals, bombings, etc. We are exposed to so much negativity, unethical/immoral behavior and trash that we have stopped feeling the horror of it. We have become negative and selfish. We have come to believe money can buy anything including happiness. We go after success not caring who we step on to get where we want to go. We feel depressed because "nothing means anything" and there is a tremendous epidemic of apathy.
      Perhaps, a poem I wrote says it best:

      Probable Cause

      Putting to paper
      pain and loss and sorrow,

      it is here
      the poet
      erupts.

      Too much exposure is
      always
      the source of infection.

     I sincerely feel that we, individually and collectively, are incapable of change until we first modify our attitudes. Negativity works against any attempt to change society for the better. The unhealthiness the media et al. has brought about is inexcusable and irresponsible. Look at the O.J. Simpson fiasco, look at how it contaminated all of us. When it was over, it really didn't matter if he did it or not (although I will always believe he did), it accomplished only one thing: an angry nation. It didn't matter what side you were on because the common thread was anger.
     Until people turn their thinking around, until people put the emphasis on what can be accomplished if we all work together for a common goal, until the cycle of negativity is broken, it is not likely effective change can be implemented. We have to get back to the basics. We have to believe in ourselves and in each other. We have to have compassion and the willingness to accept all people as our equals.
     What do you think?

-- Sally1, July 16, 1996

     I know exactly what you are trying to say Sally1, the knowledge of so much wrong in this world has made people apathetic. "Oh, only 30 people were murdered and only 2 terrorist attacks occurred today, so it wasn't too bad of a day." It truly is a sad fact that we treat news of murder and mayhem as something to be passively consumed without being moved and personally touched by them. In this information age we are confronted by so much tragedy, that our heart grows numb to the anguish of others.

     On the other hand, why should we blame the messenger? The media did not start the war, the local anchorman did not drive the car bomb into the military post, and the newspaper reporters did not murder Nicole. Perhaps the media could be a little more selective in what they report, making sure to report on enough "good news" to help balance out the "bad news," but a free and unhampered media is a crucial component to a democracy. Its function is so important that it was one of the first things protected in the Bill of Rights.

     If the news media ignored all of the bad news and only reported on the good news (like a state-controlled media), how would we learn about all of those atrocities? The choice between an apathetic informed public and an ignorant public is probably a toss-up. But perhaps the problem is not that the public has too much knowledge, but that the public has too much knowledge and feels powerless to do anything about it. Not being able to do anything about the atrocities that come everyday almost forces one to become apathetic to retain sanity. Perhaps if we could rebuild that bond between the people and their political and social system, we could do something about that feeling of powerlessness. When the government steps in to try to solve a problem, that person IS doing something about that atrocity, they just don't realize it. There is no way we can all be personally involved with solving every atrocity, it isn't humanly possible. That's why we have all of these institutions to begin with.

     And what about the entertainment industry? We try to blame the increase in violence upon violence in entertainment media. There may or may not be enough evidence to support this, especially when dealing with the effects of media upon children. Youngsters who have not established their own self-identity will imitate others they see as they try to discover "who they are." And the evidence does show that children who watch violent programming are more prone to act aggressively than those who watch non-violent programming. And these children may or may not grow up retaining that aggressive behavior. There is definitely a case to be made for not exposing children to certain entertainment until they are ready for them.

     I don't want to go off on a tangent here, but, as far as I know, there is no proof that violent programming has the same effect on adults as it does on children. And I get personally offended when the censors bleep out a word they have declared obscene or blur someone's naked body or cut out the most violent parts of a movie. These scenes, if setup properly, can be the most powerful and most moving parts of entertainment. If you become attached to a character and then that character is decapitated when his country goes to war, that act of violence will stick with you whenever anyone speaks lightly of war. And as we follow the love story of two people to its culmination in an act of making love, we will always remember how much more pleasurable sex is when there is also an emotional and mental union. And the censoring of language is so unjustifiable, I'm not even going to legitimate it with discussion.

     There is a time and place for murders, violence and sex in the media. Because these things happen in the real world, adults must be prepared for them. How can we possibly hope to prevent murders if we cannot understand the motivations behind them? And what about prostitution or rape? Do the victims of rape really enjoy the sex they are having (you would be surprised how a number of "good ol' boys" would answer that question)? What better way is there to safely "experience" these things than through media?

     Succinctly, Sally1, yes, I agree with you that the media can dull our emotions and increase apathy, but the cost of not having that media is much, much higher. Instead of trying to sanitize the media world for children leaving nothing of value for the majority of the population who are adults, perhaps we should request the writers to focus more on their content. It is not the absence or presence of sex and violence in programming that makes a program good. Well-crafted media has the power to reverse apathy. For example, will any of us ever be in favor of a "limited nuclear war" after having watched "The Day After" or "Wargames"? Or will we ever think the same way about the homeless after seeing "A Stone Pillow"?

     Of course, I couldn't agree with you more about believing in ourselves, having compassion and treating everyone as equals. Hope to hear from you again soon.

Kenneth

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7/21/96