By now there isn't a person left in America who has not endured the deathless blather about the child supposedly trapped in the helium-filled balloon.
The nation apparently was "riveted" by the event. Well, I'm part of the nation, and I wasn't. First of all, I knew right away that there was no one in the balloon. I've always had good gut instincts, but after 30 years in the news business, believe me, you can smell baloney 10 miles away.
No, I wasn't riveted. I was annoyed. And then I was outraged. Let's leave aside the notion of people so psychologically damaged that they must exhibit themselves on TV for doing nothing of importance. How dare members of the media spend their time — and ours — on an unconfirmed report and then ask experts to speculate on the speculation. It's the very worst kind of journalism.
These same national journalists could never be bothered to do a story on the arts, unless some violinist is murdered at The Metropolitan Opera or some painting is stolen from a museum. NBC anchor Brian Williams did have a little note about the booing at the opening of The Met's new "Tosca," then added a snarky, "so I've been told." He wanted to ensure America that he would never condescend to actually attend the opera.
There are many reasons for the decline of culture in this country. Among the main is the media's contemptuous attitude toward the arts in an attempt to pander to a public it no longer serves but instead slavishly follows. What the media should hold in contempt are people who'll do anything to become celebrities.
As for the little boy at the center of the storm vomiting on national TV, well, there are plenty of people gifted with taste and a sense of justice who felt the same way.
By the by, if you want to read a good story that begins with a child trapped in a hot-air balloon, I recommend Ian McEwan's novel "Enduring Love" and the film of the same title, both vastly superior to his more famous (and badly reasoned) "Atonement."
Truth may be stranger than fiction, but fiction is often a whole lot better.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
I agree with you 100%. I couldn't believe the way the news media practivally hyperventilated over the so-called "balloon boy" story. It says so much about what is wrong with our culture. It was embarassing to watch CNN and see Wolf Blitzer's breathless coverage -- what happened to grown up journalists with perspective? And what kind of parents allow their sick child to be seen vomiting on TV just for the sake of a few more moments in the spotlight?
ReplyDeleteVery nice commentary on the rabid common-denominator mindset of our media and its contemptuous attitude toward the arts.
ReplyDelete