What the Media Won't Let Us Realize

Sometimes I sit back and really wonder why and how it is that the biggest news stories of the day are typically small and insignificant to the bigger issue of informing the public in a supposed "free and democratic" nation. With all due respect to victims of domestic violence and sexual abuse, why is it that the Scott Peterson and Kobe Bryant trials are even still news? And don't give me some BS about the tenacity of the alleged crimes or the fame of the alleged assailant. Thousands of women are beaten and sexually abused everyday, and we'll never even hear about it. So what makes these cases more important than any others and how is it possible for them to be major news years after they were first reported?

If I were like my former college roommate, I'd probably be screaming "it's a conspiracy." And maybe, for once, he'd be right. You see, it is my belief that by reporting so heavily on such cases, that honestly bare little significance in the lives of most Americans, the media doesn't have time to really report on issues that really affect them. Even worse, the media can ignore international issues that might affect the way we view other countries and affect who we vote for on November 2nd.

As for the "War on Terror," the media would lead you to believe that all of our enemies in the world are Islamic Fundamentalists, and that once we establish Democratic (which I'd easily argue could be interchanged with Christian) states in countries that are Islamic, we'll be just fine. I mean, there's always some al-Qaeda (which means Islamic, which means evil) tie to everything that happens bad to the USA. And they certainly report on that.

Unfortunately, with our attention focused on Kobe, and realizing that al-Qaeda is a bad thing, we never realize the depths of how hated our country is, by everyone, and not just al-Qaeda.

We have successfully spent the last decade pissing off everyone from dictatorships, to members of the United Nations. Our worst enemy in the Western world, Cuba (which, correct me if I'm wrong, is largely a Catholic nation), enjoys free trade and visitors from countries all over the globe except for us. However, the media would have you to believe that it is virtually an isolated nation, solely because we don't do business with them.

We've also had our run-ins with China, which has a religious diversity ranging from Buddhism to Christianity. After we unremorsefully (if that's a word) killed two Chinese people at an Embassy overseas, and then got caught spying on them (with a USA plane that they intercepted), Chinese feelings towards the USA have also gone sour.

And most recently, when word got around that Colin Powell was going to attend the closing ceremonies at the Olympic Games in Athens, Greece, a substantial protest was headed towards the US Embassy there. About 1000 protesters had to be tear-gassed before they reached the Embassy. Later, a more peaceful group chanted "Get the Killer Imperialists Out of Greece." Apparently they succeeded, because now Colin Powell (a man who once held extreme high esteem in the international community) has canceled his plans to attend.

For some reason, though, the news isn't seriously entrenched in reporting international views on the USA. Sure, you might hear about these things every once in a while, but they won't remain in the news for nearly as long as the lowly Scott Peterson. This is despite the fact that a negative view of the USA can affect all of us in this country in a multitude of ways.

It doesn't matter if Muslims worldwide see us as a threat to their religion, or if nations the world over see us as Imperialists seeking world domination, it is clear that we've made far more enemies than we might imagine. We've certainly made more enemies than the media portrays, and we definitely have less friends than "the Coalition of the Willing" suggests. And pretty soon, with people like British Prime Minister Tony Blair being out of power, we will be left alone in the world with only Israel's support. Then, I wonder, what are we going to do, and how are we going to sugar-coat the news?

All my life, people (including myself) have said that despite its shortcomings, I would rather live in the USA than anywhere else. Well I suspect that it won't be long before that sentiment changes.

-Maelstrom