Everything You Wanted to Fear, But Was Afraid to Fear.
Watched Bowling for Columbine last night. It was shocking to learn that approximately eleven thousand people a year die from gunshots in the US. Especially troubling when you compare those numbers to the paltry numbers that gun toting countries like Canada pump out.
There were a lot of reasons that Michael Moore was citing for this violent behaviour. The fact that it’s so easy to get guns and ammo certainly doesn’t help the situation (like you can get ammo from a barbershop in Michigan, and you get a free rifle when you open a bank account in I don’t even remember where), but it seems to me that our present social structures don’t help us either. The idea that the level of fear mongering that takes place in US culture and how that’s transmitted through the media is a pretty broad one, but maybe something that has merit anyway.
I mean you could really get into the whole issue about music and video games while you’re at it too. It was odd how nice Michael Moore was to Marilyn Manson for example while Heston got the Trojan Horse treatment. But let’s face it, Heston was talking some trash anyway. It’s obvious that the guy’s just a figurehead that reads the lines that the NRA gives him and all he cares about is his right bear fully loaded arms just in case the “ethnic” element might make moves against the Master NRAce.
Just for kicks let’s run through the top 5 headlines around town and see if this fear mongering principle has some merit:
The New York Times
Haiti’s Neighbors Seek Reforms - Aristede, remember him? Yeah. Haiti? Yeah troubles there, but no nukes or anything, so this article is just here to drop a dollop of dolor for that sympathetic global conscience that Times readers are supposed to have. Note: This article has been replaced on the front page by a story on how Federer is now the number 1 tennis player in the world.
Bush’s Aides Put Higher Price Tag on Medicare Law - Mo’ Money Mo’ Money
Economy Grew at 4 Percent Rate in Final Quarter of 2003 - Was supposed to be 4.8. Not bad though. Except if you’re one of the 2.3 million unemployed since POTUS 43 came to power.
Mars Rover Finds Mineral Possibly Linked to Water - There might’ve been water on fiery red Mars. Which means, there might have been water way over there like there is over here.
POLITICAL MEMO - Whoever Is Chosen, Democrats Spoil for a Fight - The Times discovers that no one likes to lose, even Democrats. It also looks like Bush might want to hold onto office.
The New York Post
DANGER - article about how there were other loose wires that could’ve killed someone. Yup. You guessed it. Death is right around the corner, right underfoot.
Kerry Courts South Ahead of Primaries - I guess he’s trying to convince people to vote for him before they actually vote? Puzzling.
Israeli Military Blows Up Attacker’s Home - Israel finally realizes that bulldozers are far less effective than missiles and/or bombs.
Economy Grows at a 4 Percent Annual Rate - Like I would actually click on this it’s so generic. Funny how the Times reported that the economy grew at 3.1 percent for ALL of 2003. Funny. Ah, but my mistake! I just didn’t read the rest of the AP article the Post links to. The first sentence explicitly it states: “The economy grew at a 4 percent annual rate in the final three months of 2003.” See? My bad.
Medicare Cost Hike Stirs Congress Debate - Mo’ talkin’? We not in Texas anymo’ Dodo!
U.S. Probes Cause of Deadly Afghan Blast - Hard to say much about this. You hope it was an accident, but if it was it seems somehow even more senseless than a premeditated attack.
The Daily News
Frontpage picture of a Superbowl ad with “ditz” (as they call her) Jessica Sympson and the Muppet.
CON DEAD Utility: We’re to blame for tragedy - That’s just nice. Con Ed, Con Dead. It’s the nuances that get you, it really does. Gets you thinking.
Bronx tot drowns in 5-gallon bucket - Once again, the details are key. ‘Bronx’ and ‘5-gallon’ - very important. And ‘tot’ as in toddler / baby, not tater tot. This are serious after all, and it’s important to humanize this kind of story with facts and details.
Boy: Kicked for losing & aide stood by - If I may just riff on this without reading the article: Said aide must’ve been blind and couldn’t be fired from the school because of anti discrimination laws, and that’s why we need to get rid of the Board of Ed.
Houston out, guaranteed! - Just in case you don’t have other things to worry you, here come the Knicks.
Then again, it’s hard to blame the media completely right? It’s not like the UK’s media is all white gloves and morning suits right? But their gun deaths are pretty minimal compared to the US. Then again, normal people don’t have access to guns, so perhaps they like to use slingshot, knives and bare teeth instead. That might be the reason why they have so few gunshot deaths.
Just glossing over the news does seem a little alarming. Now whether or not that’s going to make some guy pick up a gun who knows? If that gun’s right next to that individual? Well the chances are getting better. If I have no real future ahead of me, and everyone segregates me for being a misfit in one sense or another, and violence is a mark by which a man is defined on TV and in films and video games, well who knows? If parents aren’t around because they split up, or if a single parent is gone the whole time because s/he has to work all day just so the family can get evicted because s/he can’t make ends meet, well maybe that might get an individual down.
In all honestly though, what’s all that pessimism compared to the inalienable right a person has to bear fully loaded automatic weapons within easy, legal reach and furthermore, the respect and pride you get from getting up on out of welfare by working 15 hour days getting paid $5-8 / hour and becoming a proper upstanding citizen like the President, who Lord know must work more than 15 hours a day? I know my message is a little messed up there, but I think the basic message is pretty clear; as Charlton Heston declared:
“From my cold dead hands!”
