I posted a video earlier this week about the Million Man March, which was held in Washington DC on October 10th. It is an annual event, this year's being special, because it marks the 20th anniversary of the Million Man March. People gathered in front of the Washington Monument from all over the country, with many celebrities making an appearance. So why was the coverage of such an event so scarce on cable news networks? What reasonable explanation could there be for such an event to go unnoticed? With all the negative attention that hip hop has attracted since it's inception into the mainstream spotlight, for rappers to show and walk with ordinary people as part of such a positive event, you would think that at least they would get some attention for just being there. However, that was simply not the case. I didn't really get any details of the event until I looked for it online. The concept of mass media catering to its audience was one of the first things I thought of when hearing about how much attention this event DIDN'T get. The fact that the largest demographic of viewers probably wouldn't be that interested in the Million Man March isn't that surprising to me, but that doesn't make it any less sad. People talk a big game about changing the we we think of each other, but that will never happen if our motivations for what we choose to show people in the news doesn't change.
Wednesday, October 14, 2015
Watching the Democratic Debate last night and comparing it to the Republican Debate some weeks ago has brought a couple of things to light that I had not noticed before. If you consider the different audiences that the two debates attract, it is not surprising to think/say that the Democratic Debate attracted a more moderate crowd. Maybe it's a product of the nature of the candidates themselves, but the Republican Debate seemed less controlled. What I mean by that, is that the Democratic Debate felt more issue based, and they were less concerned about whatever personal attacks were made. A part of this comes from what we as a society view as "the truth" and how we perceive ourselves to come to it. Every single politician claims to have seen, or to know exactly what to do to fix whatever issues are at hand. Each one has different "truths" that they hold themselves to, and their respective constituencies all have their reasons for voting for a candidate also. How can we expect the media to be objective when the politicians that they are watching/reporting on are FAR from objective? What people seem to forget is that all of the different statements that politicians make before being voted into office changes when they are actually voted into office. People say the President didn't do this, or is incapable of doing that, and claim to know why that is the case. However, we must remember that the office of the President is a fluid position, and that there are things that the public will never know, that will probably greatly influence the ability for future Presidents to take action like they say they will. In conclusion, we all think we know what's best, but we have no idea.
Monday, October 12, 2015
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