Oh the humanity oh the irony…

NBC’s decision to release a post-mortem video of a murderer only validates my concerns about Western Media. Where is the responsibility and compassion for the victims? Perhaps TV producers and their viewing public have become so desensitized that we no longer know right from wrong. Both sides are at fault. They are looking for ratings and they know everyone will watch. Have our lives become so mundane that we must focus incessantly on the tragedies of others? Just like “rubber-neckers” at an auto accident we are so consumed with seeing anyone else’s misfortunes.
More bizarre is the ironies generated from this tragedy… I sat in the boss’s office today watching a split screen of CNN and Al Jazeera.
CNN – “Breaking-news” of an incident that broke 3 days ago and has been running for not stop. (Not so breaking anymore)
Al Jazeera – 1 minute briefing of a mentally ill student and 29 minutes of other just as important headlines.

How about these Ironies:
Doesn’t the self-produced delusional diatribe released by NBC resemble the “last goodbye” martyr tapes released by Suicide Bombers? Tapes that Western Media typically refuse to broadcast while Arabic media quickly push out as credible?
Contrarian as usual Al Jazeera took the high-road: deciding not to broadcast the post mortem rantings of a murderer and condemning the environment that creates such horrific personalities. What happened to their Martyrdom?
What does it say when you can get more substantial, balanced, and responsible Western Media style news from a Pan-Arab outlet?

Other things to consider:
How many angry youths are now complimenting their weapons cache and disturbed attitudes with a “must-have” video manifesto?
How long until Al Qaeda takes responsibility and praises the actions of their South Korean “brother.”
Just how different are we from the Middle East?
In my desire to defeat extremist in all their forms I suppose I could travel half way around the world to fight fanatical young men with delusional thoughts acting out their homicidal ideas. Oh Wait?!?

Here’s an interesting idea… how bout for once we take a page from the people here in Iraq now do after they lose 200 + people in one day and just let the people in VA grieve without all the many weeks of intrusion and deconstructionist sensationalism.