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Media = Death
I wasn’t going to comment on the killings in Virginia because I don’t think the event has much meaning outside of the local tragedy that transpired. A mad young man who fell through the cracks bought a gun and went berserk. But the horrendous way that television “news” is mining this tragedy for ratings is beyond venal — it’s dangerous. It’s near midnight as I write this and Nightline on ABC — a once respectable show — has just shown extensive clips of the rambling videos created by the madman. Provided to them for a fee, I’m sure, by NBC (how they must have danced at Rockefeller Center when that package arrived!). In them, Cho refers explicitly to Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, the Columbine killers, who clearly were heroes to this deluded creature. As I watched it I yelled out at the TV “STOP SHOWING IT!” How many sociopaths are watching this completely unnecessary orgy of necrophilia and adding Cho to their list of heroes to emulate, as he adopted Harris and Klebold? I’m afraid we’ll probably find out.
Slate’s [Jack Shafer offered an apology] for the sensationalist coverage, but he’s missing the bigger point: all the attention in the world will not wring any non-obvious insights out of this tragedy. And you will wait until hell freezes over before one of the pious and soulless talking heads on TV figure out why these massacres are happening more and more often — it’s because, thanks to relentless coverage, they are becoming a genre, a way for some disturbed young men to achieve greatness. The ravenous media are not just profiting from this horror, they are enabling it. Unforgivable.
Posted in Blather 04/18/07 | 
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I’m honestly more concerned/upset with all of the attention surrounding the event than the actual event itself.
Comment by Jason - GorillaSushi — April 19, 2007 @ 7:00 am
OMG! Someone has figured it out. The plot to distroy the earth is doomed.
The souless talking heads do it because souless rich brks pay them to do it because souless tv hypnotised berks watch it because souless talking heads…
I don’t watch TV for this exct reason.
Comment by Lord Matt — April 19, 2007 @ 8:39 am
Well said. The media has done even more damage falling all over themselves to cover this. It’s repellant to the viewer and self indulgent for them.
Comment by Ricardo — April 19, 2007 @ 11:28 pm
Thanks guys for commenting. I’m encouraged that a backlash developed against NBC so quickly. They spent all of today trying to defend the indefensible. Maybe others will think twice the next time this happens.
Comment by Sprague Dawley — April 20, 2007 @ 12:04 am