7/20/12
Here is a WSJ News Alert that arrived in my inbox at 7:49 AM Chicago time this morning:
A gunman wearing a gas mask opened fire early Friday at a Colorado movie theater on the opening night of the latest Batman movie, killing at least 12 people and injuring at least 50 others, authorities said. Federal law enforcement officials say the suspect is James Holmes, a 24-year-old white American.
What if I had left out the last sentence? Or maybe not left out the last sentence but changed it to read:
Federal law enforcement officials say the suspect is a 24-year-old white American.
Would you know any less of any importance if you read the second, modified sentence rather than the first?
My point, of course, is to ask why the media insist on reporting the name of the creep who shot up the movie theater. Who, other than his family and a relative (to the millions, maybe billions, who will become aware of this story) few who know the guy gains anything worth knowing by learning the guy’s name? One of the reasons, indeed, maybe the major reason, that hapless losers and degenerate misfits like James Holmes commit these horrific, unspeakable atrocities is the worldwide attention it gives them. So why include the name of the perpetrator when reporting on a crime, or at least on such a horrendous crime? Including the names of the “suspects” in such situations adds nothing to the story but does achieve what is clearly one of the major goals of the monsters who commit these crimes—the eternal fame that comes with mercilessly taking the lives of innocents. In this instance, everyone will know the name of James Holmes for a long, long time.
The media fulfill these monsters’ most fervent wish by reporting what is to just about everybody a completely useless piece of information.
For more of my thoughts on politics and the ironies that permeate life, along with a healthy dose of what some call cynicism but I call realism, see my other posts on The Insightful Pontificator.
For more of my thoughts on political issues, see Mighty Insights at Rant Politics.
For some of my thoughts on financial issues, see Mighty Insights at Rant Finance.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
2 comments:
Apparently this shooter's mother immediately said that she knew it was him. I have a feeling that we are about to find out that there were as many red flags with this guy as there were with the Fort Hood shooter... and no one did anything. And don't blame guns... guns are banned in Norway lasand last year that shooter was still able to find some. Unfortunately, it took a while to take that guy down because even the cops don't carry guns there!
Agreed on all counts, Rahul. And among the people who didn't do anything was this guy's (Notice I didn't use his name!) mother!
Thanks for reading and commenting.
Post a Comment