In addition to the fact that it happened in the first place, there were a number of aspects of the shooting spree at a military post in Texas last week that I think are very disturbing.
The first, of course, is Good Morning America. On Thursday afternoon, as the story of the incident emerged over the radio, I wondered, almost immediately, what Diane Sawyer would have to say about it the following morning. If that does not make it painfully clear that I need to get my television addiction under control, I don’t know what does. And true to form, on Friday the madness began in earnest: Good Morning America opened the show with an impressive array of video of military personnel ravaged by panic, large, armed men jumping out of the back of trucks to restore order and lots of tears. This was all set to a soundtrack that would have been perfect for a suspense movie. I am not kidding: a soundtrack, on the news. Chris Cuomo had been dispatched to the site, where he offered his own unique brand of comfort to the people he interviewed, and Robin Roberts added, for some reason, that “military families are truly special.”
One of the strangest things about the coverage is something I have certainly seen and heard before but that didn’t really gel for me until late last week. When did it become standard operating procedure for news people – so called – to conclude their interviews with “Our thoughts and prayers are with you and your family”? I do not object to that from the religious neutrality point of view; what I object to is the rampant insincerity. It would be bad enough if this sort of talk were confined to the morning shows, but it’s not: from her perch, Katie Couric sends out thoughts and prayers quite regularly. When I send or receive thoughts and good wishes, it’s a personal exchange, a personal participation in empathy and compassion, not a cheap ploy to stir what now passes as emotion among millions of television addicts like me. It must be noted that Jim Lehr, Gwen Ifil and Bill Moyers do not engage. When their interviews end, they wrap them up by thanking the guest for his or her time. Once a week, in fact, the News Hour runs the names and photos of soldiers recently fallen, which is preceded by Jim Lehr saying, “And now, in silence …” The “in silence” part is key to me: the way I was raised, when you wanted to show respect for someone recently departed, you keep your mouth shut.
Speaking of no silence, things weren’t much better locally. There is only so much NPR one can take, so in the afternoons I often tune in to the conservative entertainers. For the most part I do find them quite entertaining, and every now and then they make a point with which I actually agree, but late last week was stunning. One of the hostesses in Portland regularly brays about her devotion to all-things military as if it were a badge she’s earned. Which is why I was shocked – truly shocked – on Thursday afternoon when she didn’t even take a deep breath before launching into a tirade about Obama. How dare he speak about what happened at Ft. Hood, she asked her listeners, when he clearly doesn’t really like America? Rather than listen to her followers call in and agree with her, I switched to the jazz station, which kept me company for the remainder of the afternoon.
The first, of course, is Good Morning America. On Thursday afternoon, as the story of the incident emerged over the radio, I wondered, almost immediately, what Diane Sawyer would have to say about it the following morning. If that does not make it painfully clear that I need to get my television addiction under control, I don’t know what does. And true to form, on Friday the madness began in earnest: Good Morning America opened the show with an impressive array of video of military personnel ravaged by panic, large, armed men jumping out of the back of trucks to restore order and lots of tears. This was all set to a soundtrack that would have been perfect for a suspense movie. I am not kidding: a soundtrack, on the news. Chris Cuomo had been dispatched to the site, where he offered his own unique brand of comfort to the people he interviewed, and Robin Roberts added, for some reason, that “military families are truly special.”
One of the strangest things about the coverage is something I have certainly seen and heard before but that didn’t really gel for me until late last week. When did it become standard operating procedure for news people – so called – to conclude their interviews with “Our thoughts and prayers are with you and your family”? I do not object to that from the religious neutrality point of view; what I object to is the rampant insincerity. It would be bad enough if this sort of talk were confined to the morning shows, but it’s not: from her perch, Katie Couric sends out thoughts and prayers quite regularly. When I send or receive thoughts and good wishes, it’s a personal exchange, a personal participation in empathy and compassion, not a cheap ploy to stir what now passes as emotion among millions of television addicts like me. It must be noted that Jim Lehr, Gwen Ifil and Bill Moyers do not engage. When their interviews end, they wrap them up by thanking the guest for his or her time. Once a week, in fact, the News Hour runs the names and photos of soldiers recently fallen, which is preceded by Jim Lehr saying, “And now, in silence …” The “in silence” part is key to me: the way I was raised, when you wanted to show respect for someone recently departed, you keep your mouth shut.
Speaking of no silence, things weren’t much better locally. There is only so much NPR one can take, so in the afternoons I often tune in to the conservative entertainers. For the most part I do find them quite entertaining, and every now and then they make a point with which I actually agree, but late last week was stunning. One of the hostesses in Portland regularly brays about her devotion to all-things military as if it were a badge she’s earned. Which is why I was shocked – truly shocked – on Thursday afternoon when she didn’t even take a deep breath before launching into a tirade about Obama. How dare he speak about what happened at Ft. Hood, she asked her listeners, when he clearly doesn’t really like America? Rather than listen to her followers call in and agree with her, I switched to the jazz station, which kept me company for the remainder of the afternoon.
