Just So Crazy
The week that passed was a real doozy, wasn't it?
Normally letters laced with poison to some of the leaders would dominate, but that hardly got a mention. Even the horrific explosion at the fertilizer plant took a backseat to the atrocities of Boston.
It was emotionally exhausting.
It also really drove me crazy for a whole bunch of reasons.
One of the things that I kept thinking was something I heard a long time ago.
If we want to get rid of violence in this world we truly have to stop being entertained by it.
This was the first really gripping news story that was played out on all the social media outlets. There were shows that were broadcasting the scanner feed for the Boston police. The entire country was tuned to the broadcasts and knew when a squad car was turning down a side street. There were 7 fake twitter accounts set up for the bombers within minutes of their being identified. Those accounts had thousands of followers within a half an hour. My Twitter account has been up for a year and I have less than 100 followers.
Can't we let the cops do their jobs and report back to us?
One reporter was trying to speak to the audience and was being screamed at by police officers because he was too close to a truly potentially explosive situation.
To top it off, every Tom, Dick and Dumb-f&*k was giving social commentary as it all unfolded.
"Don't you wish you had a gun now, you lib idiots?"
"Why doesn't Obama stop this?"
"See why we need immigration laws? Keep all the towel-heads out!"
There was a light-skin, black-skin gaffe. The NY Post was putting out photos of innocent kids and calling them suspects. CNN shit all over themselves every three minutes.
News outlets interviewed everyone from the classmates of the suspects to the guy who changed the freaking oil in their car.
All the while they were throwing bombs out the window and murdering innocent people.
"It's like a movie!" One excited guy exclaimed to me at one of the job sites.
If we want to get rid of violence in this world we truly have to stop being entertained by it.
And then the 'thoughts and prayers' aspect of it all.
Drives me crazy.
The people who say that with a microphone in their hand aren't praying for anyone. It's all just fake sympathy. I'm just convinced of that. I don't mean to be cynical here, but damn if they were so concerned about people perhaps they wouldn't be jumping in front of grief-stricken individuals just to get a photo so they can be the first to say:
"Look at the anguish!"
Someone sent me a text after it was all over and asked me if the entire thing all played out changed what I believed should happen with the gun laws.
I'm sure the asshole from the NRA was dancing in the streets with glee because more guns and bullets are sure to be sold.
If we want to get rid of violence in this world we truly have to stop being entertained by it.
"No," I texted back. "I still think we should try and keep the guns out of the hands of the mentally-deficient."
In the days that follow we will slowly work our way back to our usual routines.
The media will hammer away.
There will be millions of 'thoughts and prayers' speeches.
And we'll all sit and wonder where the next big show is gonna' happen.
If we want to get rid of violence in this world we truly have to stop being entertained by it.
Normally letters laced with poison to some of the leaders would dominate, but that hardly got a mention. Even the horrific explosion at the fertilizer plant took a backseat to the atrocities of Boston.
It was emotionally exhausting.
It also really drove me crazy for a whole bunch of reasons.
One of the things that I kept thinking was something I heard a long time ago.
If we want to get rid of violence in this world we truly have to stop being entertained by it.
This was the first really gripping news story that was played out on all the social media outlets. There were shows that were broadcasting the scanner feed for the Boston police. The entire country was tuned to the broadcasts and knew when a squad car was turning down a side street. There were 7 fake twitter accounts set up for the bombers within minutes of their being identified. Those accounts had thousands of followers within a half an hour. My Twitter account has been up for a year and I have less than 100 followers.
Can't we let the cops do their jobs and report back to us?
One reporter was trying to speak to the audience and was being screamed at by police officers because he was too close to a truly potentially explosive situation.
To top it off, every Tom, Dick and Dumb-f&*k was giving social commentary as it all unfolded.
"Don't you wish you had a gun now, you lib idiots?"
"Why doesn't Obama stop this?"
"See why we need immigration laws? Keep all the towel-heads out!"
There was a light-skin, black-skin gaffe. The NY Post was putting out photos of innocent kids and calling them suspects. CNN shit all over themselves every three minutes.
News outlets interviewed everyone from the classmates of the suspects to the guy who changed the freaking oil in their car.
All the while they were throwing bombs out the window and murdering innocent people.
"It's like a movie!" One excited guy exclaimed to me at one of the job sites.
If we want to get rid of violence in this world we truly have to stop being entertained by it.
And then the 'thoughts and prayers' aspect of it all.
Drives me crazy.
The people who say that with a microphone in their hand aren't praying for anyone. It's all just fake sympathy. I'm just convinced of that. I don't mean to be cynical here, but damn if they were so concerned about people perhaps they wouldn't be jumping in front of grief-stricken individuals just to get a photo so they can be the first to say:
"Look at the anguish!"
Someone sent me a text after it was all over and asked me if the entire thing all played out changed what I believed should happen with the gun laws.
I'm sure the asshole from the NRA was dancing in the streets with glee because more guns and bullets are sure to be sold.
If we want to get rid of violence in this world we truly have to stop being entertained by it.
"No," I texted back. "I still think we should try and keep the guns out of the hands of the mentally-deficient."
In the days that follow we will slowly work our way back to our usual routines.
The media will hammer away.
There will be millions of 'thoughts and prayers' speeches.
And we'll all sit and wonder where the next big show is gonna' happen.
If we want to get rid of violence in this world we truly have to stop being entertained by it.
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