Watching from the other side of the country, I see no point to the wall-to-wall TV coverage that has – as best I can tell – yielded very little actual information about the shooting in Aurora, Colorado. But that is what our “news” is now. But as I have tuned in from time to time over the last 36 hours to hear the “latest,” I have been truly annoyed to hear certain words and phrases used repeatedly in various forms.
We’re continuing our live coverage of the unimaginable tragedy that has occurred in the town of Aurora, Colorado.
Our hearts go out to the family and friends of the victims of the inconceivable act of violence that occurred here on Friday morning.
We’re getting more details about the unthinkable events that resulted in the deaths of 12 and injuries to some 70 others.
Really? We can’t
imagine some whack job arming himself to the teeth at the local fishing store and unloading round after round into a crowd of his fellow Americans? We can’t
conceive of some maladjusted youth venting his rage at innocent bystanders using a handgun with a 30-round clip? We are unable to
think that such a massacre is possible in this great land of peace and freedom?
With all due respect, what the fuck are you talking about?
If the network and cable news practitioners are new to the planet, this is the United States of America. Mass shootings are routine here. Tuesday night, a guy shot 17 people in at a bar in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. In May, a dude killed 5 people at coffee shop in Seattle. In April, 7 people were shot at a religious vocational school in Oakland. In March, 14 people were shot outside a funeral home in Miami. In February, 1 person was killed and 20 injured at a nightclub in Tennessee. That’s just this year.
You may have been away, but a U.S. Congresswoman and 17 other people were shot, six of them killed in Tucson in 2011. Ever hear of the Buckhead Massacre? That’s a few years back. But a day-trader killed 9 people in the Atlanta suburb. Colombine? Virginia Tech? Fort Hood? Kinston, Alabama? Binghamton, New York? Luby’s Cafeteria in Killeen, Texas? McDonald's in San Ysidro, California? Any of this ringing a bell?
It is profoundly irresponsible for the media to pretend that events in Aurora are unusual in this country. They aren’t. Do your fucking job. This is a serious problem and one that deserves serious attention.
So, please, continue with live coverage if you must. But make some effort, would you? Most people don’t need to imagine a tragedy of this proportion. Neither should you.
P.S.: As I conclude, I just flipped past CNN to see Don Lemon interviewing Stephen Baldwin - I'm not joking - at the fucking theater in Aurora to get his important thoughts on gun violence. If that's the extent of your programming, please just turn the lights off and leave Aurora in peace.