MGS and i are still on season 4 of the wire, but i hear the next season is all about the newspaper industry. i’m really excited to start watching it because i’ve been thinking about the power of the media a lot lately especially because of that idiot pastor in florida who keeps getting attention for his hateful actions. all the press is imbuing him with power he wouldn’t have otherwise. i don’t support censorship, but i do support anti-sensationalism. we see it ALL the time now. simple events and worse, simple people are being way over-hyped because the reporters want to capture the angle that’s going to attract the largest number of readers/viewers.
for instance, during the oakland bart protests, very few media outlets focused on the peaceful protests, but instead focused on the random ass anarchists (white, out-of-town anarchists i might add) who were the ones causing the majority of the chaos. activists don’t riot — we organize. get it straight! but that’s probably too boring and lacks the hype. people asking for peace and a fair resolution? why would we want to cover that? give us the bandana-covered guys carrying sticks and smashing in car windows because that makes for a nicer picture!
and what about all those tweens that have become overnight sensations thanks to youtube and all the news coverage? i wouldn’t consider myself a veteran performer, but there’s a part of me that is a little bitter that Rebecca Black is hitting it so big with such an awful song. she’s become a cultural phenomenon. granted most coverage is equal parts news equal parts mockery, but the fact that she’s getting attention in the first place is what bothers me. if i were Robyn or Janelle Monae or willbur or all those other overlooked artists as of late, i’d be a little P.I.S.S.E.D.
i was just reading a play by rajiv joseph called gruesome playground injuries about a guy and girl who use pain – physical and emotional – to keep the other close. i couldn’t really connect to the characters, but THEN this morning, i get an email from someone i know with whom i’ve had a rocky relationship with throughout the years. there’s totally a correlation between how s/he manipulates people to get attention and the way the press markets itself to sell papers. sex sells. negativity sells. shock sells. same thing goes for relationships and the insane tactics that we’ll employ to get attention. i’m getting too old for that shit. it’s a game i don’t want to play, but i’m afraid it’s a game we ALL play. i’m not innocent: how often have i used pain to get love?
Will Dao 