Newspapers Suck
I never buy newspapers. I disapprove of them. I disapprove of the way they focus on negative things. I disapprove of the way they make hero’s of people who are not hero’s. I disapprove of wishy washy attitudes to the issues of right and wrong and their incessant, slavish, “political correctness”.
They are not worth paying for so I don’t pay for them unless I want the free TV guide which, since I rarely watch TV, is not often. I do, however, read them if they are free.
There was a copy at work last night so I read it.
The first thing that struck me was that it actually contained two items I thought were WORTH reading. Pictures of an elephant swimming. They said the elephant was a retired logging elephant. Now that was news to me! I was absolutely thrilled to learn at least one of those poor creatures actually got to retire! It was even more thrilling to see the animal enjoying its retirement. It looked fat and healthy and seemed to be having the time of its life. Bonus! Tell me more!
The other item was a picture of a lion hugging a woman. The paper said the lion had been rescued from starvation by the woman it was hugging. It was lovely to read of a kindness done and rewarded! The lion really looked like it was giving the woman a genuine hug and kiss. The paws were holding her close not just draped over her.
The second thing that struck me was the picture of Australian cricket legend Shane Warne enjoying an intimate interlude with his ex-wife on some rich man’s boat. The picture was on the front page.
The fuss they are making over this man is unbelievable. He can do no wrong in the eyes of the media. He is being worshiped as if he is a god yet he is a man who has control of nothing but his athletic ability.
He can throw a cricket ball and hit one for heavens sake. BIG DEAL! How in Gods name does this physical ability make up for his dreadful personality? The paper listed all the things he has done wrong over the years and dismissed them as being of no consequence because, clearly, he was back in the good books with the wife he repeatedly cheated on.
Come ON Mr Editor! Way to foster depression in society!
People are not stupid. They KNOW deep down inside it is wrong for a man who has behaved as badly as Shane Warne has behaved to be getting away with it. Even those who worship his athletic abilities know deep inside that he probably deserves to lose his pretty wife, his kids, his home and a massive chunk of his money.
Instead we see this man having his toast buttered for him by the very woman who would, if he was not a celebrity, be making toast OF him!
Putting this on the front page of the newspaper is a visual, depressing, punch on the nose to every man who ever cheated or behaved badly and did not get away with it and to every woman who knows what this image is really screaming to the world.
“TREAT THEM MEAN – IT KEEPS THEM KEEN!”
The next item to catch my eye was about young people being diagnosed as depressed and given medication. The item said antidepressants have not been cleared for use with children as young as some of the children who are currently getting them.
Depression is becoming an epidemic these days so it’s not surprising that children are getting it but it’s more than that.
People are behaving badly and getting away with it. Children see that. Don’t think for one minute that children are not seeing, and hearing, the accolades Mr Warne is receiving or won’t register the scorn that will be heaped on his wife now.
As Mum and Dad read the paper the children will not hear them express sympathy for poor Simone Warne who has obviously been suckered into believing Shane will never cheat on her again.
She will be called stupid and people will suspect her of being more concerned about hanging on to the celebrity money and status than of having a husband she can trust.
Australian society rewarded Simone Warne when she dumped this man. She was feted and invited to appear in things. She was poised to become famous and respected herself. She will be punished for going back to him. She will become just one more bimbo who will tolerate anything to hang on to a famous or rich man!
Children register these things. They register that Dad or little Johnnie’s dad lost HIS wife and he wasn’t half as badly behaved as Shane Warne. They register that the world is not fair. Their parents register that they are sad and, instead of helping them deal with it, they look for a magic pill to cure it.
The last item to catch my eye was about the failure of the social welfare system to do right by abused kids.
Boo Hiss said the newspaper as it attacked the child protection workers and the government. It’s OK to attack them. In a politically correct world governments and government agencies are fair game.
The problem is not within the agencies. The problem is within our society. We have a lot of abused kids but that is nothing new. What is new is people are now willing to stand up and say the abuse must stop. That is excellent.
Every decent citizen applauds the idea of taking children away from abusive parents but very few of those same citizens will open their home to take in such children!
For every person with the courage, strength, love and resources to take in abused children as a community service there are others who want to take those children in to use and abuse them! The system has so few good homes to place children in that it is often not an option to remove them from their abusive homes.
Instead of attacking the agencies how about trying to convince people to open their homes and hearts to these children?
Here’s the real news. Children are dying because there is no safe place to put them so they must be left in dangerous homes!
You won’t find that in the newspapers. It’s not something people want to read.
It’s not newsworthy to make hero’s and celebrities out of people like the handful of self-sacrificing foster families who are doing their best to save as many of those abused children as they possibly can.
No. You don’t have to be an admirable human being to get celebrity status and lots of hero worship. You just need to be able to handle a cricket ball!
Failing that all you need to do is be pretty and behave badly. If you get enough publicity you can become famous simply for being famous. Then you will be able to come to Australia, as Paris Hilton did recently, and sign autographs for adoring children.
The child I saw getting the autograph was too young to do what Paris does. In a few years time, however, she will be old enough. If she decides to copy the behaviour of her childhood heroine will she become famous or will she become a target of scorn and wind up depressed?
I take comfort from knowing I didn’t pay a cent to read that rubbish and I did enjoy the two animal stories.
