What I love about the autonomy of blogging, well writing in general really is that it allows me to write anything I bloody well want to. Not only that, I can complete a thought and a sentence without being loudly talked over. Sure, my point of view can be dismissed by the reader with one click of the mouse. Fine. But, I can lay out my opinion as linearly as I can even if it's just for my own benefit.
Blogging is not as all pervasive as other methods of mass communication. It's more intimate, more personal as well as one sided until (and if) comments are left to offer another view or another opinion. And, if someone leaves a nasty rude comment that I deem inappropriate, I can delete it and move on because it's my blog. My perogative......................
Unfortunately, the media is very difficult to turn off, dismiss and ignore. And this week, I'd like to turn it all off. Why? The Robert Pickton trial has begun in British Columbia. His heinous crimes are worse than Bernardo, Legere, and Olsen combined. If you havent heard about this evil man and the gruesome murderous acts he is accused of commiting, just take my word for it, it's beyond comprehension. And yet........
CTV has been "promoting" the trial for over a week like it was a CSI episode. They are inviting us to tune into the National news at 11pm to get all our updates on the trial with these "alluring" ads. It sickens me...................as I try to explain to my kids what the networks are "promoting" while they are watching some innocent TV show that's gone to commercials.
CBC Radio One not only has the updates during every top of the hour newscast, albeit with warnings just before they rail into the gore (at which time I am running around the house turning off the radios in all the rooms so my children don't have to learn any more details of it), they have also developed "angles" for interviews on forensic this and DNA that with experts during their morning, afternoon and evening shows. You may have turned on the radio in the morning to try to catch the local information and news (weather, school bus delays, updates etc) but be prepared to switch off at any time, because Robert Pickton is front and centre.
All newspapers have a gruesome eye catching photo and headline on the front page, and then have a "special section" devoted to the details.
Any online newsite you click onto will have a picture of the scumbag front and centre because he's intriguing??? I'm sure if you looked.........and it wouldn't take a lot of digging.....you could learn all the details which the court has banned from reporting on.
I have stopped reading newsites online................I have turned off the radio............I refuse to watch the TV news. My choice, I realize...................... and if you want to watch or listen.......if you have a driven desire to learn more, well then fill yer boots.
What I don't understand is why someone would want to pollute their brains with such vile descriptive violence? Is it some kind of thrill? Where does the curiosity for this stuff come from?
This particular story, along with a few others that seem to be in the news every single day has also generated a lot of questions in my head about the amount of lies and disceptions we are fed daily.....................stuff others with an agenda want us to believe. I find it very difficult to find my way as I filter through propaganda, spins, left leaning thought vs. right leaning thought, political correctness, fundamentalist finger pointing, poll inducing assessments, opinionated editorials, heartfelt testimonials, and emotional diatribe that makes up the majority of our media. I don't care which political planet you're from...........................we are all fed a lot of bullshit, and innuendo that more often than not reinforces our own take on the world.
WHERE is the BALANCE? DOES BALANCED reporting exist? Did it ever exist. I don't believe it ever has...........but who am I for YOU to believe? I'm just a lowly little blogger with an opinion.
Just like a horoscope, it makes sense to you by the way you interpret it. You can make a horoscope fit your day anyday!! How scientifically magical that is. The news is that way as well. If I'm a supporter of Stephen Harper, I can find many articles to support my point of view. I can even decide to only read those articles and dismiss everything else as lies. Same with any issue.
It leaves me confused and at times unsure as to where I stand on certain issues. What I try to do, if I'm interested in learning about a topic or an issue...........if I want to form an educated opinion, I try to read a variety of articles that reflect many angles. Easier said than done..... but I try.
'Cause the truth HAS to be in there somewhere...........doesn't it?
Not that I want a world that is black and white, right and wrong.....but it would be nice if I could at least trust something that I hear or read or see in the media because right now, not one politician comes out smelling fresh and not one journalist comes out unbiased......... integrity and honesty seem to have been flushed down the toilet and into the sewers.........polluting the rivers, which in turn is consume by the cows, which in turn produce flatulant methane gas, which as we all know is the major cause of global warming.......or not.
Gee........this was the fastest post I've written in weeks. I wonder why??
I will end this little bloggierant with a quote I found in the newspaper today. Not only did it make me laugh..........I BELIEVE it.....
"The very powerful and the very stupid have one thing in common. They don't alter their views to fit the facts. The alter the facts to fit their views, which can be very uncomfortable if you happen to be one of the facts that need altering." Dr. Who.
Anyone going to watch Dubya's State of the Union Address tonight?
Blogging is not as all pervasive as other methods of mass communication. It's more intimate, more personal as well as one sided until (and if) comments are left to offer another view or another opinion. And, if someone leaves a nasty rude comment that I deem inappropriate, I can delete it and move on because it's my blog. My perogative......................
Unfortunately, the media is very difficult to turn off, dismiss and ignore. And this week, I'd like to turn it all off. Why? The Robert Pickton trial has begun in British Columbia. His heinous crimes are worse than Bernardo, Legere, and Olsen combined. If you havent heard about this evil man and the gruesome murderous acts he is accused of commiting, just take my word for it, it's beyond comprehension. And yet........
CTV has been "promoting" the trial for over a week like it was a CSI episode. They are inviting us to tune into the National news at 11pm to get all our updates on the trial with these "alluring" ads. It sickens me...................as I try to explain to my kids what the networks are "promoting" while they are watching some innocent TV show that's gone to commercials.
CBC Radio One not only has the updates during every top of the hour newscast, albeit with warnings just before they rail into the gore (at which time I am running around the house turning off the radios in all the rooms so my children don't have to learn any more details of it), they have also developed "angles" for interviews on forensic this and DNA that with experts during their morning, afternoon and evening shows. You may have turned on the radio in the morning to try to catch the local information and news (weather, school bus delays, updates etc) but be prepared to switch off at any time, because Robert Pickton is front and centre.
All newspapers have a gruesome eye catching photo and headline on the front page, and then have a "special section" devoted to the details.
Any online newsite you click onto will have a picture of the scumbag front and centre because he's intriguing??? I'm sure if you looked.........and it wouldn't take a lot of digging.....you could learn all the details which the court has banned from reporting on.
I have stopped reading newsites online................I have turned off the radio............I refuse to watch the TV news. My choice, I realize...................... and if you want to watch or listen.......if you have a driven desire to learn more, well then fill yer boots.
What I don't understand is why someone would want to pollute their brains with such vile descriptive violence? Is it some kind of thrill? Where does the curiosity for this stuff come from?
This particular story, along with a few others that seem to be in the news every single day has also generated a lot of questions in my head about the amount of lies and disceptions we are fed daily.....................stuff others with an agenda want us to believe. I find it very difficult to find my way as I filter through propaganda, spins, left leaning thought vs. right leaning thought, political correctness, fundamentalist finger pointing, poll inducing assessments, opinionated editorials, heartfelt testimonials, and emotional diatribe that makes up the majority of our media. I don't care which political planet you're from...........................we are all fed a lot of bullshit, and innuendo that more often than not reinforces our own take on the world.
WHERE is the BALANCE? DOES BALANCED reporting exist? Did it ever exist. I don't believe it ever has...........but who am I for YOU to believe? I'm just a lowly little blogger with an opinion.
Just like a horoscope, it makes sense to you by the way you interpret it. You can make a horoscope fit your day anyday!! How scientifically magical that is. The news is that way as well. If I'm a supporter of Stephen Harper, I can find many articles to support my point of view. I can even decide to only read those articles and dismiss everything else as lies. Same with any issue.
It leaves me confused and at times unsure as to where I stand on certain issues. What I try to do, if I'm interested in learning about a topic or an issue...........if I want to form an educated opinion, I try to read a variety of articles that reflect many angles. Easier said than done..... but I try.
'Cause the truth HAS to be in there somewhere...........doesn't it?
Not that I want a world that is black and white, right and wrong.....but it would be nice if I could at least trust something that I hear or read or see in the media because right now, not one politician comes out smelling fresh and not one journalist comes out unbiased......... integrity and honesty seem to have been flushed down the toilet and into the sewers.........polluting the rivers, which in turn is consume by the cows, which in turn produce flatulant methane gas, which as we all know is the major cause of global warming.......or not.
Gee........this was the fastest post I've written in weeks. I wonder why??
I will end this little bloggierant with a quote I found in the newspaper today. Not only did it make me laugh..........I BELIEVE it.....
"The very powerful and the very stupid have one thing in common. They don't alter their views to fit the facts. The alter the facts to fit their views, which can be very uncomfortable if you happen to be one of the facts that need altering." Dr. Who.
Anyone going to watch Dubya's State of the Union Address tonight?
10 comments:
Hear, Hear!!!!
I have refused to read or listen to any article concerning Robert Pickton. I have however read an article today in the Globe and Mail that gives an empathetic view into the lives of 6 of his victims. It gives a brief view of who they were according to those that knew them. You come away with the knowledge that they were women...they were more than just "drug addicts" or "prostitutes" as the media has kindly labelled them. They were unfortunate women who had to indure terrible childhoods that led to drug addictions. It bothers me that we know more about the killer than his victims. The idea that the media will sensationalize these monsters (Bernardo, Picton, Legere, Despres, etc) sickens me. The local papers are doing the same thing with the Minto murders. I don't want to hear about the gruesome details of a victims last living moments. It is horrifying!!! It is more important to know who the victims were, who loved them and how can the tragedy best be prevented so that others do not suffer in the future. I can see this kind of Court TV kind of crap coming from the U.S. gossip/sensationalist channels but it seems illfated coming from a canadian newspaper, radio station or television network. I thought we didn't do that kind of thing.
Kudos to the journalists (Canadian and U.S.) who decide to see all the other angles and keep their integrity in tact by not selling out with the gorry details.
I love blogging for the same reasons.
And no - I don't think there is unbiased media or balanced reporting anymore - the quote you shared kind of says it all.
I'm not watching the State of the Union address.
P.S. I must say I was a bit stunned to see my last name in your post linked to one of those murderers (the one that starts with L)I have never in my life met anyone here in the States with my last name. My father was from Novia Scotia so I guess its common up North.
I didn't watch. I can't stand Dubya.
How true, its the same all over the world. News and current affairs are so full on.
I pictured myself in your shoes, as I am often dashing for the tv and radio at different times to turn it off. Australia isn't any different. It makes me sick also there is no escape. Well said :}
Hi Sunny:
Canadian journalists are no different than any others. We may not have as many cable channels reflecting all colours of the political spectrum, Cdn. biases show....more left leaning than any other way.
We also live in a province where every friggin' newspaper is own by the same family. How balanced is that?
As far as the Pickton murders and the local Despres murders, if one had been paying attention over the past couple of years, one would have enough information.
I have thought a lot about the victims. How do these very public trials help the families in any way? I don't know that answer...I'm not in their shoes. But, I keep thinking that there would be no way I could sit through the heinous descriptions and details of the demise of these women.
layla.......yes Legere is a common name. It's Acadian. Unfortunately, a notorious murderer from this area has made it very well known.
Layla....and kenju...... the quote I added at the end automatically made me think of GW's speech.....all words and spins written for him to try to shore up support he has drastically lost over the last year...... it also made me laugh because he seems to have the market cornered.....how does the "powerfully stupid" alter the facts to fit their views?
People will have watched that coming from their point of view....whether they like the guy or not.......whether they trust the guy or not.......their views will taint how they interpret his words.
Hi Shaz........ It's not often that I will protect my kids from hearing or seeing what's going on in the world.....though I limit it because it can be so overwhelming. My daughter more than my son is impacted by the state of affairs in the big world...it can cause middle of the night anxieties very quickly......so I am more cognizant of how she is interpreting things. I try to keep lines open so she can ask away.........and I will do my best to offer her both sides of an issue......and gauge how much she can absorb. It's a difficult balancing act that's for sure.
We have a nifty 15minute program here called media watch. It lampoons and exposes the Medias often flagrantly lazy, 'Google'cut and paste style of Journalism short on facts, long on spin. Often plagarizing, sometimes downright deceptive.
Of course bloggers always do their research and thoroughly check their facts:)
I agree whole heartily.... The man is F%^&ked up & I really don't need to hear the gruesome detail every hour on the hour. I know he will be found guilty & the taxpayers will have the privilege to cloth, protect & feed him for the rest of his life .... God forbid we can't kill him. Ugggg!!! What ever happened to ‘An eye for an eye' or how about each victim’s family allowed a little one on one time with Picton … in private of course while guards are on their coffee breaks ….
Missed Big G ramblings, first day back to University (after 20 years), I'll print off a copy of the whole speech and read it at my leisure while I'm on the toilet.
Hi Monk......we too have a few lampooning shows......This Hour has 22 Minutes, and the Mercer Report are both hilarious.
Jon Stewart in the States is a very funny show too........he is such a quick wit. I love his lampooning when I have a chance to watch him. He comes on very late at night here.
OH, and yessirreeeee, bloggers always research their facts. In fact, I have wikipedia book marked. Kidding!!
Roar Woman!! You're back at school? Good on ya!
PLEASE - PICTON is a friendly, wonderful, small town on the shores of Lake Ontario - the farthest thing from PICKTON on this earth!
I refused to listen to the radio reports during the Bernardo trial - we always changed the channel on the television at that time too - the fact that my kids were still at home played a major role in that decision, but to be honest I probably would have done it anyways.
I cancelled my only daily newspaper subscription one morning after witnessing one of their "spectacular" front page pictures depicting human degradation, suffering and death - I have never re-subscribed to a daily and although I really miss the read, I stand on this principle to this day!
And....Muskie, I too, refuse to be seduced by the sensationalism of promised coverage of one of the sickest stories, people, events, in our history. There are so many worthy stories to tell....it boggles even my simple mind!
I will not watch or listen to or read this coverage - the animal will go to his grave anonymously in my mind...a fitting result! Too bad our media cannot show leadership on what they blast into our homes each evening. What a choice - a sick, murderer or Paris Hilton - Phew!
hey Shastamon Daisy.....
Looks like another reunion is in the works!!! Now, that's news. I love it...... and I must look into a Canada East plan. I said I would and then promptly put it aside. Camping on Prince Edward Island.........mmmm......sun, surf, sand.....mmmmmm....anne shirley kindreds.....lobsters, oysters, and lots and lots of spirits!! I'll have to do a Google search and see if I can find a place that could accomodate a bunch of Kawabians and their anklebiters and olderkins.....
As much as I am trying not to catch the news etc, it seems to slip into my day..... I was out on the road the other day and made sure I had my tunes with me.....will continue to do so.
I never thought about your hometown name.....that truly sucks.
take care.........
muskie.
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