The U.S. verus the World.

I woke up this morning about 4 a.m. and popped on the tube for some background noise.

I tuned to a channel that had some kind of comedy sketch playing.

The gag was a group of guys standing around when two get into an arguement and challenge each other to a race.
They look to another of the group to start the race when he reaches into his belt, pulls out a pistol and begins to wave it around.

The group dodges and ducks and on screams, "Is that a real gun?"

The gunman says, "Yes, this is a real race........"

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Yesterday, as it has been for the last few days, we had a conversation about the 'W's' of the Colorado Shootings.

Doris looked at me and said, "Why is it a massacre when it happens here in the U.S.?"

Hmmmmm......

Syria is a 'uprising' or whatever label we put on that CeeEff.

I guess our citizens are more special than people overseas, only we can suffer a massacre?

And what about a bus full of Israeli vacationers in Bulgaria?

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I also 'love' the media coverage.

I got up to make my early morning partol on Friday morning and caught the news as the reports coming out.

It was the ususal talking heads and speculations about what was happening.

And then the rush to get people and victims interviewed-the same people on different outlets telling the same story over and over again. We also need to hear the 911 tapes and that grainy, unstable cell phone video that really doesn't tell us anything except some idiot stood there, trying to make facebook or youtube, instead of getting out of the way or helping out.


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Sometimes its not the act of an idiot that makes me cringe about being an American.

It's the way we react.

Like LH said, the bodies aren't cold yet, but we have no problem making our outrage known.

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The race was on to find out who this moron was, why he did it and where he came from. We know where his parents live - What kind of pain does a parent go thru knowing your child perpetrated this evil on a group of innocent people?


Then we have the 'famous people' with a cell phone who begin posting.

I especially liked the message from one of the Batman filmmakers who said something like "how could someone do that in a theater"...This coming from the same people who think nothing of putting out crap and crappy movies.

Natural Born Killers, Kill Bill - both volumes and tons of other trash that make killing people a spectacular passtime.

I won't go into video games and how they may affect impressionable kids.

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I am glad that the studios decided to withhold the weekend receipts to 'honor the victims' or is it a way to hide the fact the numbers were affected by people who thought twice about going to a theater this weekend?

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It's not about anything except people being stupid and others wanting to make money and the first with the 'right' information.

but, isn't that what being American is all about?


The truth be danged.

Quote:

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Doris looked at me and said, "Why is it a massacre when it happens here in the U.S.?"

Hmmmmm......

Syria is a 'uprising' or whatever label we put on that CeeEff.

I guess our citizens are more special than people overseas, only we can suffer a massacre?

And what about a bus full of Israeli vacationers in Bulgaria?

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We call them massacres other places, too - in Serbia, Rwanda, before it is labeled genocide in some cases, they get called massacres. Norway it was called a massacre. They are also called slaughters.

It is only when it is in the context of a war, and involves soldiers of opposing sides that it is not called a massacre.

Quote:

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It's not about anything except people being stupid and others wanting to make money and the first with the 'right' information.
but, isn't that what being American is all about?
The truth be danged.

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As Americans, we have the choice to change the channel, shut off the TV, seek other sources for information, or ignore it entirely. We have the right to be compassionate or callous in our reactions, as our own consciences decree. We are not force-fed an official "State" position, nor is the news filtered by the government for what is considered "proper" and "right" for us to hear. There are other places in the world where this is not true.

We need not patronize the channels that choose to participate in the media frenzy if it bothers us.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Karen

We call them massacres other places, too - in Serbia, Rwanda, before it is labeled genocide in some cases, they get called massacres. Norway it was called a massacre. They are also called slaughters.

It is only when it is in the context of a war, and involves soldiers of opposing sides that it is not called a massacre.





As Americans, we have the choice to change the channel, shut off the TV, seek other sources for information, or ignore it entirely. We have the right to be compassionate or callous in our reactions, as our own consciences decree. We are not force-fed an official "State" position, nor is the news filtered by the government for what is considered "proper" and "right" for us to hear. There are other places in the world where this is not true.

We need not patronize the channels that choose to participate in the media frenzy if it bothers us.

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After I get what I need from the 'media' I do change the channels.

I find that the musical intros and graphics annoying and trivial - years ago I toured the L.A. Times and laughed about the 'morgue'. They kept a running file for celebs in case they died. That way the story was ready to roll in case they needed it. So I wonder if the TV press has the same thing going, a somber tune and graphic with only the location to be inserted?

I also used to laugh at people who listened to NPR or watched PBS.

I can laugh at myself now.

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I guess my irritation stems from the one or two people that get shot and killed every day, we don't flinch one bit at that news. It's only when we move into the raw statistics of multiple bodies, in out own back yard, that we start to notice?

A morgue file originally was the paper-folders containing old files and notes that were kept by criminal investigators, and old article clippings kept by newspaper reporters,[1][2] in case they became of later use as a quick-reference.

In modern usage, its scope has expanded to cover many post-production materials for use of reference, or an inactive job file. The term is popular in the newspaper business to describe the file that holds past issues flats. The term has also been used by illustrators, comic book artists, designers and teachers.