Fed up with seeing terror suspects' photos everywhere

I can't stand the media's penchant for glorifying terrorists and other common criminals by endlessly plastering their photos on TV/newspapers/magazines/online, thus effectively feeding the egos and encouraging further heinous acts from every loser and evil moron all over the planet who wants to push an agenda or take the express lane to hell in a blaze of infamy. Do we need to see those still incredibly painful images from 9/11 any time someone utters the word "terror" on television? Do we need to see the stock footage of the 9/11 murderers along with those images as commentators remind us of their dastardly acts? Do we need to see the face of the surviving Boston terror suspect and hear his mother rail against the FBI over and over again?

I know that bad news sells newspapers and gathers eyeballs for news programs. But give me a break. Every pimply faced loser with delusions of adequacy can find instant celebrity by going to the mall and blowing up people--whether out of some misguided belief system or just for fun. (Here's a clue, Sherlock: God does not tell people to kill women with long hair speaking through a dog and does not want you to go out and murder the innocent of any faith/color/sex/sexual orientation. The devil does. Get that through your thick, troglodyte's skull. There is no devil you say? Perhaps you're right, but look in the mirror for a rough approximation. If you had an I.Q. above that of salt, of course, you'd know that.)

The media needs to tone down the coverage. The Roman idea of pacifying the masses by offering bread and circus (the arena) is not something we want to emulate, but have. (Welfare and the gore-on-demand round the clock coverage of CNN/FOX/MSNBC. Everybody happy as the empire fall around us and the barbarians storm the gates? We don't even have Hadrian's wall to offer even the appearance of safety. More news anyone?

I agree. However, media is governed by ratings. If people refused to watch and refused to purchase the products advertised, they would change, just as they drop tv shows that have ratings slips.

The people of the United States have options greater than any country in the history of the world. Yet, we give up our options to Madison avenue, news media, special interest groups and lobbyists. Those with the squeeky wheel are heard - but mobilizing the public is often a thankless task.

We need to take a lesson from a small organization in Immokalee Florida that managed to force the major tomato users to pay a penny more for their product. Their office was a tiny, spartan room with a few computers and volunteers, many of whom spoke no English. Yet, they mounted a political campaign that reached across the nation - targeted and with a goal that was reasonable.

We no longer have a representative democracy - at least not one that represents you and me. We have a system of government where the most money wins. Period. We are concerned with our daily employment and getting by in life - and the bigger picture feels distant and we leave it in the hands of the politicians.

If we don't want news to always repeat the bad and the ugly, we need to stop watching the bad and the ugly and refuse to buy the products advertised. Note that an athlete that goes "bad" loses his commercial contracts - in fear that people won't buy them.

Apparently, we are paying for what we want.

lol, i was thinking just this morning, my god, these ugly creatures are STILL on the front page of every news website?

I thought the endless coverage of Kim Kardashian was bad ...I've been shown what "bad" really is. Lesson learned!

DK,

Agreed. I do change channels whenever this continual nonsense loops again. But there is no news channel to which I can turn. Show me the twin towers ablaze and I will turn the channel--without exception. Show me the face of the latest moron gone wild after a reasonable time has passed since they committed whatever atrocity gained them the public's eye and I will do the same. But the American public is watching the garbage or, as you point out, it would not be shown. That's what also angers me.

In a society where the most dysfunctional behavior and/or sheer nastiness can get people (or entire families) reality shows and "celebrity status," if the channel is changed it is likely to be to look for a better angle--a close-up of the blood and gore, preferably in HD and slow-motion. The media panders to the lowest common denominator and, in turn, helps to bring the bar of what passes for news reporting ever lower. There is no sense of propriety, of editorial restraint, or of simple common decency evident in news reporting of tragedies.

Satiating the voyeuristic taste of the viewing public is not a journalist's reason for being. Nor is desensitizing the masses from the horrific acts of misguided, demented, or evil people. Showing a burning building is news. Showing people throwing themselves from the rooftop in act of desperation driven by the simple desire to avoid burning to death is unnecessary and cruel. Following the bodies down with a camera until they hit the ground and the aftereffects in glorious 3D would be inexcusable (but such video would be shown were it available with an appropriate disclaimer that viewer discretion is advised). Continually showing the faces of the men responsible for the act for more than a decade at the drop of a hat is free advertising for terror groups, promotes terrorism, and is criminal behavior masquerading as news and hiding behind the 1st Amendment protection.

Agreed, LC!

In all fairness, the major outlets are competing with well-established "private" sites that have no restraints and enormous audiences. LiveLeak, Drudge, Breitbart, Reddit, even Stormfront. And those sites, in turn, will link to even worse ones, such as ogrish and 4chan.

How do you stay relevant when competing against all these sites who will show people what you can't?

4/23/2013
Victor..
I heard this morning and I agree the left wing media
is showing this angelic photo of the younger brother, give
me a break , the media should be told clamp down, no one
wants to see his ugly puss........Cheers...Joe..

Calling media left wing and right wing and conservative and liberal is a waste of breath. The media reports what the advertisers want them to report. The motivation is returns from advertising sales. The CEO of the particular media platform may influence the political leanings, but they are all rating whores with the exception of the attempt by public media to report more than one side of an issue.

Why do we have to dig in our heels and be a label? The purpose of political labels is to take complex ideas and reduce them to a simpleton label so that ignorant people have something to cling to rather than understand the nuances of differences across the spectrum. Once you have a label, it's easier to propagandize.

Try having an original thought rather than quoting the commentators. An original thought separates facts from labels. The fact is that media choose pictures according to the attraction to viewers. Period. Viewers attracted equals ratings equals money.

Do you think the people, 200 plus, injured and murdered are worried about the pictures? They are concerned about walking again, their jobs, their families, the cost of rehab. They surely want justice; but justice is not a political party though the biased media would like to present that case. Justice is a thorough investigation of the facts - an attempt to answer the question "why?" Then the application of consequences to the guilty.

I have seen quite enough and too much of these monsters.

4/23/2013
Their should be a black out on the media, no photos, no
stories until the trial and execution ! Then these little
bastards will be just a memory...The real heroes are the
victims, police and FBI....Matter of fact some in congress
want to strip him of his citizenship , I hope they do...Now
maybe the liberal, leftist press will keep their mouths shut !!

Cheers..Joe....

Liberal left? It seems to me that these two are about as radical right as one can get.

4/23/2013
Are you feeling sorry for these two little monsters ?
Cheers.Joe....

No, they brought about their own destruction, but I don't see them as "monsters." Seeing them that way will only prolong the problem.

If we want to end these attacks, we have to try to see a little of where they came from.

I don't think anyone is interested in these two low lifes,
they comitted a horrible crime, one is dead and now his
brother who was as bad as he is going to pay the piper.
Cheers......Joe...

I apologize. I said the Monster word.

Personally, I would prefer to find ought what we can do to prevent other young people from making the same self-destructive choices in the future.

They apparently did this heinous thing. Their victims deserve justice. Seeking justice for their crimes is one thing; seeking vengeance will only prolong the problem.

As long as we see the artificial boundary lines between nations on this plante, as long as we see people who have different perspectives as "the evil other," we will have wars and the terrorism that such animosity brings.

It's a little like the children and the students in another current discussion. If you tell them they are bad, they will believe it, and their actions will bear out that belief. If you tell them they did a bad thing, and that they must accept the consequences, you give them the option of choosing to do better next time. They can learn that it is possible to choose the good before it becomes too late.

A horrible thing happened in Boston. Every day horrible things happen across the U.S. in mostly larger cities, pockets of desperation.

Every day horrible things happen in Africa, the Middle East and desperate countries of the world.

Many people on this earth consider the people of the U.S. as monsters. Consider those why died from drone attacks as examples.

The recent Marathon bombing may serve a a crucible for the many frustrations felt by U.S. citizens; but it is only one of many horrid examples of man's inhumanity to man - the total lack of brotherhood across nations, beliefs, and religions.

Who is the monster? It's in all of us, ready to rise in hate depending on the circumstances.

The monster has a gun. The monster has words. The monster believes in its own correctness.

I really don't see how we see them as having a thing to do with their deeds.
The younger brother was seen as a fine young man.
Unfortunately this did not make him good or even close to good.
I now see them as entirely undesirable--because of what they did.
I am sure they haven't heard of me and my opinions of their behavior. We need not blame ourselves for their actions.
I hope the one remaining is not executed. It will just make a martyr of him, prolong the trial and cost a ton of money.
I am through talking about them.
They are not exemplary citizens

alice wrote:

I apologize. I said the Monster word.
I really don't see how we see them as having a thing to do with their deeds.
The younger brother was seen as a fine young man.
Unfortunately this did not make him good or even close to good.
I now see them as entirely undesirable--because of what they did.
I am sure they haven't heard of me and my opinions of their behavior. We need not blame ourselves for their actions.

In the end, they did a monstrous thing. And that is sad. They are paying the ultimate consequence.

They had the potential for being good. We are not to blame for their choices.

We can still choose to learn more about their perspectives, and how those perspectives became so distorted so that we can help others to choose a different path.

Quote :

If we want to end these attacks, we have to try to see a little of where they came from.

Agree. There's an article on HuffPo right now saying they were inspired by revenge for the Afghan and Iraq wars. I'm not surprised. Maybe if we stopped spending billions terrorizing Middle Eastern countries, mostly to prop up the disruptive, apartheid state of Israel, we might not need so much Homeland Security.

I agree that our actions do not appear admirable in other parts of the world to anyone but us.

4/23/2013
As far as I'm concerned now and years ago we don't
belong in the middle east, it all boils down to "OIL !"
Why are we now giving billions of dollars to Egypt,
Jordan, Palestine, Syrian Fighters, these countries hate
our guts and yet we're kissing A** , are our politicians
so dam stupid for pandering ?????????????????????????
Cheers..Joe...

joefrank wrote:

4/23/2013
are our politicians
so dam stupid for pandering ?????????????????????????
Cheers..Joe...

The answer is YES!!! But then again, WHO keeps voting them back into office?

4/23/2013
Don..
The moron public ! They just keep voting these
idiots into power....................Cheers..Joe...