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TV Bites With
Neena Louise |
September 11, One Year Later
by Neena Louise
It's hard to believe it has been a year since "September 11th"
came to mean something other than a day in late summer. It is a
different world we live in, where security is everywhere and we all have
to be wary when it comes to where we travel, what we say and whom we
associate with. It's a sad commentary (and a bit of a perversity) on the
freedoms we cherish, but which have now waned in their priority.
On this most solemn of anniversaries, I was horrified that television
swallowed the entire day (on most stations) with programming on the
atrocities of a year ago. It was unsettlingly like a celebration of
violence and I am appalled, not only by television giving into its
exploitive nature, but also that we still have not learned that most
fundamental of lessons: DO NOT GIVE THE TERRORISTS THE ATTENTION THEY
CRAVE. The horrors of a year ago could have been noted on television
with the broadcast of the ceremonies - we did not need a full TV day
devoted entirely to those cowardly terrorists and what they did.
Perhaps it is in our nature to celebrate death (as could be observed by
the distasteful media circus surrounding the 25th anniversary of Elvis
Presley's death), but this occasion is different. It is not just death
we are noting, we are also acknowledging the terrorists' acts as
significant. Yes, they wounded us terribly, but why in heaven's name
would we want to validate these acts and the people behind them? Because
that's exactly what we're doing by preoccupying ourselves (not only with
television, but radio, newspapers and the Internet) with what happened a
year ago.
I, for one, turned my television off immediately after the tasteful and
moving ceremonies (during which I kept impotently shrieking "SHUT
UP!" to the commentaters that babbled incessantly), but highly
resented being forced to switch off simply because the media are unable
to control themselves. We've been tortured with special after special,
news piece after news piece, story after story on the attacks during the
past year. The last thing anyone needs is more (and more and more) of
the same. Unlike other occasions where we are supersaturated with
stories about an event, rather than become desensitized, I find myself
more and more upset as I'm subjected to story after story. I just can't
bear any more - least of all a WHOLE DAY.
And if I can't bear it, imagine what it must be like for the
families of those who lost loved ones in the attacks. A "day of
remembrance" turned into a "week-long extravaganza" on
television, with endless plugs and hype of upcoming September 11th
programming. From what I've read lately, those who were most deeply
affected by the tragedy intended to take their children to the beach, or
to quietly celebrate the lives of their loved ones with friends and
relations. They had no intentions of staying home to huddle around the
television set and relive the horror. How sad, then, that for a week
they were subjected to all those promos invading every show on
television. We all grieve and remember in different ways, at different
rates - we do not need television to tell us how, nor for how long.
How are we to move on with the constant, unrelenting reminders of what
happened and all we lost? Yes, the attacks brought out the finest in
people. Yes, we should celebrate courage, humanity and acts of kindness
to strangers. Yes, we should congratulate ourselves on our resilience,
patriotism and resolve. But no, we do not need to relive the
attacks on a minute-by-minute basis again and again. Tragedy is not
entertainment, no matter how hard the media tries to make it so. Most of
us have at least started to moved on. We will never, ever forget
(as if we could), but even those that lost loved ones have begun to
learn to cope with the loss and carry on. THAT is the message we should
be sending the terrorists. Not "you did such a great job, we can't
stop talking about it."
If we simply stop watching, television ratings would plunge and the
endless, disgustingly exploitive September 11th hype-o-rama would
mercifully cease. Let's hope when the second year anniversary of
September 11th comes around, television will put its ad revenues aside
for a day, be a little more positive and a lot more tasteful.
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