I don’t like writing political pieces. Always divisive, even when prompted by the best of motives. And we just had a very divisive Presidential campaign. All of us are trying to put it behind us. At least those of us not in the streets, rioting/protesting.
But today I heard a piece on NPR1 , about a school teacher having meeting with parents of 5-year olds. Every meeting started with weeping from all parties, before they actually talk about the kids. And then, the 5-year old says that he has to go to Mexico because he’s Mexican (his parents are Mexican; he was born in the US) and that he has to say goodbye to all his friends.
.
That’s it. Stop the crazyness. Stop the paranoia. Someone tell that kid that his parents along with all of us have been listening to too much media coverage from CNN. We have all been under a barrage of media coverage that demonized one candidate while giving fawning publicity to the other. That’s my opinion, and that is why I don’t like to write these pieces.
.
Candidates have been known to make outlandish statements while on the stump. Other candidates are more measured and in control. The media may just be attracted to the outlandish comment because it makes for a more interesting piece. But the type of coverage in the 2016 campaign needs to be studied as a breakdown of media abuse. Was there really better coverage for one candidate vs. the other? Were all of us fed just one outcome of the election so that what actually happened was a big shock to everyone? Were the polls really based on bad research or were they manipulated?
.
No matter what history decides, that 5-year old needs to be re-assured immediately. And thatcannot be done without revealing that the media lied to you, kid. Don’t trust anything you hear or see, especially on TV. Always use your common sense and take everything with a pinch of salt. You’ll be the better for it.
- I stopped supporting NPR back in the early nineties when I found that their coverage was not as unbiased and even-handed as they advertise. When my opinions became more centrist, I could not find them reflected in their coverage. So I left. [↩]