Media, Censorship and Hysteria

Over the last two days, the media has certainly done an important task by featuring the devastation of the hurricane and the aftermath. Many people are suffering. Some are the victims of nature and others are the victims of other human beings, who are looting. i wonder what the impact of the media would have been had it given the same amount of time and coverage to prepare people for the hurricane. Is it a function of censorship or sales or something else that directs pre-coverage of potentially devastating natural disasters?

When i asked one of my sons why he thought people didn't leave when they knew the hurricane was coming, his response was that they didn't think it would be that bad. What if the media had shown what has happened in the past to visually show and remind people of the power of nature?

Recently, i was asked to read and post on another blog regarding thoughts on disasters. Perhaps my level of discernment was on the side of imprudent. i posted an essay that someone else had written, as a reflection of my own sentiments, instead of putting something in my own words. It was deleted by the blog master. My feelings were mixed about that reaction and response to my post. my reaction and response was to feel frustration and a certain sense of loss of freedom of speech. Then there was a sense of disappointment with our electronic exchanges that invariably has led me to examine other facets of our relationship. It brings me to the realization of the limitations of communication in every form.

Another example of this type of limitation of communication, especially through the use of media was observed by me yesterday. The price of oil has risen again. The media, whether it was a hoax or not, was used to promote hysteria here in Atlanta. Two days ago, my dad called me and said, "gas prices are going up, go fill your tank up." So i went and paid $2.55 per gallon. Yesterday, gas prices rose to $2.99, and people bought into the thought "we're going to run out of gas". It became a self-fulfilling prophesy. In a move of what i would term "structured hysteria", people were lining up at the gas stations, their cars spilling out into the roads creating traffic jams, until many of the stations were out of gas. The lines were still creating traffic problems well past 8 p.m. last night. Is this behavior a product of misuse of media or the lemming effect? Would censorship have curtailed this type of reaction and response? In light of the whole scenario, it gives me a great deal to ponder... or now that i've written it down, perhaps just move on.