The only reason the media reports on mass murders is for money.

"If it bleeds, it leads." ~ A quote from Robert Redford in the movie "Up Close and Personal" about news reporting.


The fact of the matter is that the public thirsts for blood news. Otherwise, the media wouldn't be reporting on it at such great depth.

So what it all boils down to is that we have a problem with how societal mentality (as a whole) has evolved, and the media simply takes full advantage of this for their own monetary benefit.

Humans have always had blood lust... going as far back to the days when gladiator games were a much loved sport, and no doubt, going further back still.

The news outlets are nothing but whores they are extensions of corporations and political parties there only concern is ratings which translates into viewers that allow them to shape opinion and push agendas. MSM is rife with corruption there goal is not the truth but the ability to guide the population in the direction there sponsors desire. This country was a much better place before the advent of 24 hour news stations.

reply to post by CranialSponge


I can go along with that. However they do not have to take advantage of mans base instincts that crave blood to increase profits. They could get a clue and care about the adverse effects it has on society. They could report the news and not bombard us every hour for months at a time with the most vicious news they can find.

Originally posted by jimmiec
reply to post by CranialSponge

 

I can go along with that. However they do not have to take advantage of mans base instincts that crave blood to increase profits. They could get a clue and care about the adverse effects it has on society. They could report the news and not bombard us every hour for months at a time with the most vicious news they can find.

Yes they could.

But we don't live in that kind of society, do we ?

Our entire society is based around our "lusts". Blood lust, sex lust, material lust, greed lust, money lust to buy more of the other lusts, etc. And everybody taking full advantage of those things for their own gains... whether it be corporations, governments, various media, or individuals.

We are a society of greedy, selfish pigs... suckling from the troughs of whatever scraps the "farmers" (TPTB et al) dump into it for us.

Edit to add:

Basically what I'm saying is your OP is short-sighted. You're pointing fingers and blaming the media, corporations, government, etc... when in fact, WE are our own worst enemies. These guys wouldn't get away with what they do if we didn't starve for it.

reply to post by CranialSponge


I blame them because they created it and continue to fuel it. At some point it must be reigned in. It was not always this way. Your contention seems to be that it has in fact always been this way. I assure you it was not. They created it, they can start the long process of fixing it.

reply to post by jimmiec


No they didn't create it.

We created it.

And it will continue to get worse until WE (the common people) are able to accept personal responsibility for the society we created for ourselves and start doing something about it.

And yes, it has always been this way.
Human history and their various societies (growth and collapse) prove this.

reply to post by CranialSponge


My childhood did not consist of being bombarded with violence. Mankind has always had the base instincts for violence but the media has not always fed on it to the extent that they have the last 20 years. By bombarding us with it for profits they make it more and more common and accepted.

reply to post by jimmiec


Nor was my childhood.

But really, how much did you truly pay attention to the news and what was going on in the world as a child ?

We are feeling "bombarded" with the ugliness of everything now because as adults, not only are we paying more attention, but we also live in a society where information is literally at the touch of our fingertips, whereas it was not as easily accessible before.

Prior to that, news spread by word of mouth.

Violence has always existed and always will... rape, wars, pedophilia, human chattel, assault, petty crimes, etc etc. However, that being said, it certainly seems that the frequency and degree of violence has grown exponentially in the past 100 hundred years...

And the more the population grows forcing us all to be literally on top of one another, the worse it continues to get. This is why cities are worse for wear than the small town countrysides are... the more people are gathered in one place, the uglier it gets.

We accustomed ourselves and numbed ourselves to the growing violence... and we demanded more of it as entertainment value. Why ? Who the hell knows. My best guess is it either comes down to basic instinct, or maybe because by viewing others' crappy lives, it helps us to feel better about our own (some ugly deep subconscious thing or something)... I don't know.

Jerry Springer would not be a household name if we didn't watch the damn show.

The creation of television and the internet has changed our world so drastically it's not even funny.

But we all need to start looking in the mirror instead of taking the cheap copout of pointing fingers and blaming everything/everyone else.

reply to post by CranialSponge


I watched the news. I remember the day JFK was assasinated. That made the news. Violence in wars was on the news. A bus full of students killed was on the news. It was not however on the news 24/7 for months at a time. It was reported and most horrendous happenings were kept local and delegated to rumor. I have no problem with news being reported. I do have a problem with the feeding frenzy for profit. It simply can not be denied that it effects society negatively. I don't care how you spin it, it does society no good to be bombarded with violence. It only fills the pockets of media boss's. Keep it local and if needed do something on the state and national level to address it but do not burden people that can do nothing about it with the gory details every 5 minutes for months at a time.

Lets take it down to the basics. Early man survived by hunting and killing as well as self preservation. That base instinct is still in us and effects us daily whether we realize it or not. What mankind craves is an end to violence, and suppression of this base instinct would have that effect to a large degree. Instead we are feeding that base instinct through our media. All of our media as a matter of fact. Including the internet. Yes, we are telling them to feed us violence, that does not mean that they should honor our wishs. If you truly want peace in the world then you must stop feeding problem. It is like leaving a tick on your arm. You see it but it does'nt seem to hurt. Yet you know it is boring deeper and deeper into your arm and sucking the blood out of you.

reply to post by jimmiec


Feeding frenzy ?

Okay, let's talk about feeding frenzies for a minute... and who is actually doing the feeding of the frenzy.

Let's take a look at the forum we're typing in right now in fact.

What has happened in the past few days here on ATS since this horrific crime happened in Newtown ? ATS has literally become bombarded with threads either directly about it or indirectly related to it. Just the amount of friggin' gun threads alone is insane.

So why is this crime such popular fodder on ATS right now ?

It's not the media keeping this subject alive on ATS, it's the members and the types of things they're discussing that's keeping it alive. Mainly because there's a possible conspiracy developing with it as well as the relation to a touchy subject with Americans - guns and gun control.

This horrific crime has literally become a goddamn feeding frenzy right here on ATS, discussing the topic up, down, and sideways... nevermind in the news media.

The warm fuzzy threads don't last very long on ATS, do they ?
Think about that for a moment. Seriously, think about why that is.

News is not news if it doesn't get popularized by the masses. Why don't we don't hear much about the happy, warm fuzzy things people do on the news ? Because their ratings would drop. People want to hear about and discuss endlessly the ugly stuff, not the warm fuzzy stuff. We stop discussing the warm fuzzy stuff within minutes. Fact.

We feed the media, we popularize these stories... and they take full advantage of it for the purpose of increased ratings thus helping their bottom line. Their ratings would not increase if we took no interest in it. Fact.

It's not the other way around, I'm afraid to say. I wish it was, but it's not.

News ratings go up when they post the right topics we take interest in.

Fact: Ratings (aka popularity) is what keeps any show alive on tv, in the newspapers, in the movies, etc.

There's no twisting of anything here.
Plain and simply put, we weave the pattern they wear... not the other way around.

Unfortunately, they are continuing to not take the high road by choosing to take the first step in making a change... but then again, neither are we.

We are just as screwed up and backwards as they are.

They are us.

reply to post by CranialSponge


I totally agree and have stated several times that it is our own doing. My last post took it down to the pure basics. It is worth a discussion even though it will not be addressed by the media for obvious reasons.

reply to post by jimmiec


Don't get me wrong OP, I'm not attacking you at all.

I just get all worked up when I see postings that scream short-sightedness, thus adding to the very problem we all have with our society and ourselves as individuals : Our inability to see the big picture and the insanely humongous problem we have laid out before us to try to fix.

I wish there were more people on board with such forums as ATS... we desperately need to increase our numbers to a majority rather than a minority.

Then and only then, we might be able to start forcing the change needed in the world around us.

Originally posted by jimmiec
reply to post by CranialSponge

 

I blame them because they created it and continue to fuel it. At some point it must be reigned in. It was not always this way. Your contention seems to be that it has in fact always been this way. I assure you it was not. They created it, they can start the long process of fixing it.

In whatever form, it has always been integral to society. From the days of people craving the bloodlust of gladiators and beasts to the publics current appetite of rolling breaking news with even more extreme salacious content, the change must come from society as a whole and we have allowed it to happen.

reply to post by LarryLove


Yes... unfortunately, yes.

In Yoda speak:
It's a tough pill to swallow... the truth is.

I think there are solutions that are not so painful that it would destroy the media industry. They could start by by not personalizing violent news stories nationally. Stop giving names,stop interviewing the victims loved ones. That alone would help tremendously. They could give the good news a little more play time. They could drastically decrease the attention/play time a violent story gets. There is plenty of content for the media. Just because violence gets ratings does not mean they should take advantage of the fact for fat profits. You can't buy a big gulp in New York. I must assume they can do these things. The tobacco industry survived far harsher restrictions. The media outlets can survive a shift in perspective.

I ran into this story from CNN. It posed a good question. No answers but it fits in with societies problems.

The first massacre of children that my oldest daughter ever heard about was one that took place in a high school in Finland in November of 2007. My daughter was only 9. She stumbled upon the news. It troubled her, to say the least.

And it led her to ask a question I have been trying to answer ever since. "Dad," she asked: "If the world were a movie, what would it be rated?"

Originally posted by jimmiec
reply to post by CranialSponge

 

I totally agree and have stated several times that it is our own doing. My last post took it down to the pure basics. It is worth a discussion even though it will not be addressed by the media for obvious reasons.

No, you began by saying it was the media's fault and other posters poised the question that it might actually be society as a whole who are to blame for the way media works today. Your thread opened up with direct blame at the media for the way society has become and you wormed your way to accepting we should be held accountable.

reply to post by LarryLove


The title grabbed attention. That was it's intent. The media is to blame for taking advantage of mans base instincts for violence so that they can profit by it. It is a problem that needs to be addressed. They will not address it.

Originally posted by CranialSponge
reply to post by LarryLove

 

Yes... unfortunately, yes.

In Yoda speak:
It's a tough pill to swallow... the truth is.

And many times I wish those who proclaim enlightenment on these boards swallow that pill. Change comes from within, but recognising and accepting the need to change is the hardest part of all.