September 24, 2006

  • The Apathetic Liberal

    When did the word “liberal” become such a dirty word?  It used to mean someone who challenges conservative thought — in order to protect people’s rights.  These days the American news media constantly seems to harp on injustices that are pretty petty compared to the events that are going on around the world.  (I mean, seriously, do I really care that Brooke Shields was offended by Tom Cruise?  And is now rallying in defense of depressed post-partum mothers everywhere?)  Some people might say that it is simply the American media focusing on the things that affect us only, not events in distant countries.  Isolationism doesn’t work anymore.  If one doesn’t know what’s going on outside one’s house, how can one protect one’s family from what might enter?

    Right now, the American news media is focusing on how Chavez called Bush a “devil.”  Do I care?

    No.

    Chavez is entitled to his opinion.  And I’m entitled to ignore it.  There are far more scary things going on in world events than people calling each other names.  Nuclear bombs can vaporize bones, but names will never hurt me.

    What I’d really like to see is the American news media covering more of this:


    http://www.operationsudan.org/thecrisisinsudan.ppt.mov

    from http://www.operationsudan.org/about.html

    And honestly, one can’t care about everything.  There’s grocery shopping to do, bills to pay, and board exams to take.

    But, certainly, I’d rather know what’s going on in Sudan than what dumb placard Islamofacists have thought up for the Pope this week.