Me in Melange

Media and how it shapes our fears.

I thought this was an interesting discussion, which I caught on an episode of Bill Mayer that I was watching (I think it aired a few weeks ago but I had recorded it).  Anyway, he was talking about the fact that 18,000 people a YEAR died of antibiotic resistant staff infections.  The panel was discussing the fact that we have a lot of fears and concerns regarding things that cause far less deaths a year, but the media plays up some things and down others.  He quoted statistics of how many people died from other things each year, most far less than antibiotic resistant staff infections, and things that we were being taught to be very fearful of.  My initial thought was that some of things we have a great deal of fear about have less to do with the actual deaths "this" year but the possibility of huge numbers later (example, the war of terrorism and the number of deaths from the war each year now.....we have fear about terrorism because it might result in many, MANY more deaths, more than it is resulting in this particular year in the war).  BUT...the point is, the media and coverage of things like antibiotic resistance seem less alarming, but not because actual fear should be less.....if we have an outbreak in something resistant to our medications the results could be catastrophic (just take a look at history, there are tons of examples of epidemics that killed off huge numbers of people).   However, you don't hear about that so much, or about other things that kill off 10's of thousands of people every year (like the exclusion of certain features on automobiles that would prevent accidents etc.).

ANYWAY...the whole thing made me think of how easily media can focus on one thing at the cost of another and shape our fears and daily concerns.  I like to think of myself as  a "buyer beware" consumer, who doesn't just blindly take in what I'm being fed, but I think there are a hundred ways that I'm not realizing the affect of media on my daily life and frame of reference despite trying to be aware.   When the hierarchy of issues is drilled into you day after day from watching news and reading the paper, it becomes hard to differentiate what exactly the true fears should be.

Just food for thought.... Signed, ME {lv}

Interesting interview on Larry King last night.

Did anyone happen to catch the Larry King interview last night with Joel Osteen?  I happen to see it, and the one thing that stuck in my head what was J. Osteen commented on.....which was basically, 'if you want to see where you'll be in five years, look around at who you are hanging out with."  For those of you who might not know who this person is (I had heard about him but didn't know much), he is a Houston pastor with a megachurch--young guy, probably not older than 40 years old, and tauted as a "religious rockstar".  He has lots of rave reviews and harsh critics so the interview was sort of interesting.  Regardless of how you feel about pastors like him (or pastors in general), I liked his comment because I think it is so true.  The people that you surround yourself with rub off on you, and shape the way you think, your expectations and your creativity.  Just food for thought....

Signed, ME {lv}

Crimes against women....

I know it isn't smart to talk politics, it is such a "button" and generates so much disagreement, but I'm going to mention this anyway.  I'm sitting here watching CNN and thinking about it.  I was speaking with a friend of mine who is a psychology professor, and she had an interesting point about how crimes against women, worldwide, aren't nearly as publized, and don't generate quite as much outrage as other crimes and discriminations.  Her example was that many outrageous indignities against women throughout the world were downplayed because they were "cultural traditions"....another way of masking the horror that was/is actually occurring.  Anyway, I thought it was an interesting point, and I think it is true to a large degree here locally in this country as well, much more subtly.  Women are the subject of violent confrontation (either rape, or beatings) at an astronomical rate.  If society was more outraged by it, and penalties stiffer, it wouldn't be happening like it is.   Now, I'm in no way minimizing animal cruelty, or suggesting that we not have stiff penalities for it, but we heard about Michael Vick for weeks and how he might get up to 4 years for what he did to those poor dogs, and the outrage of it all.  All of which I totally agree with.  What I wish, was that we were outraged like that every time a woman was raped , and that every time a woman was raped we were assured that the convicted person would get a serious, SERIOUS incarceration (not a slap on the wrist jail sentence which is most often what happens--4 years in a rape case doesn't happen all that often).  I'm just wondering why we hear so much about other kinds of outrages, like racial discrimination, animal cruelty, drug use with athletes (all huge problems absolutely), but the ongoing, and perpetual violence against women isn't treated like the epidemic it is?  You'd think we were a minority of the population, a small one at that, instead of 52% of the world.  Signed, ME {lv}

Have you heard this about global warming?

I thought this was super interesting, and it was something I've never heard in such defnite terms.  I was watching Bill Mayer on HBO the other night (I love him, such a quick witted, straight forward host...we don't always agree but he cracks me up), and he had on the woman who founded PETA.  She was speaking about the "other inconvenient" truth affecting our global environmental issue, that being that the single worst contributor to the global warming issue is the production of meat for eating.  Bigger than all the SUV's, all the factories building cars, EVERYTHING.  Apparently the physical raising of cattle does it (which I had heard, the cow "gas" and "beltching" is bad), but also the manure, and the pure inefficiency of raising so many crops to feed the animals (ie 20 lbs of corn to make 1 lb of cow).  Anyway, I thought the whole thing fascinating, because it is something that is definitely not being highlighted about the global warming issue, everyone would rather focus on the SUV's.  My big question is can I drive an Escalade if I give up meat??  (just kidding of course)  :-).  Such a bummer to love big cars AND steak.  Signed, ME {lv}