The death of a weatherman has sent the local masses, me included, searching the Internet for nasty details we have no business knowing. I feel like the following comment on a "news" blog says it all. I wonder if this Chuck guy has his own blog, because if he does, I'd love to follow it. I hope I'm not breaking any copyright laws by posting this. I tried to disguise the bad words a bit, and I corrected some spelling. I also omitted the name of the blog where this comment was found. Those are the only changes I made.
chuck 04:07:16
AM - Thu. Dec 8. 2011
Journalism
by way of Twitter, Blogging and the Internet is a Participatory Theater blood sport at this point.
The wailing and gnashing of teeth, heard throughout the city from traditional mainstream vehicles and in the comments section of several blogs, concerning the suicide of Mr. Harman, speaks to change, but more saliently speaks to misplaced, narcissistic, identity pathologies of average citizens, who believe for sure that the movie playing in their head will include an interview by Oprah on national TV on how they felt the day they heard the news.
Inundated, drowning in "Reality" shows, we are reduced, diminished, "dumbed down" by way of incessant repetition and banality (Thats it, they should call them "Banality" shows.). That in no way, means YOU are hangin' with the Kardashians, or that they want you to hang with them. Or, that you actually knew Don Harman. Take a deep breath, he was a weather guy on your television.
The Geico Gecko is now officially unable to limbo his a** under our cultural bar without falling on his little green a**. Kris Jenner and the Kardashians are at the helm, and whats left of American dignity, intellect and probity just got flushed down the toilet after another Housewives of (You fill in your favorite county) *%*@( &^#%.
Is, was Don Harman's tragic end a sad story? Sure, for his family, and for his friends. Not you, ok, NOT YOU. Thats right YOU! The guy sitting in his underwear, drinkin' coffee while Don used to tell ya, with modest success, on the TV, what the f****** weather was gonna be. YOU did not know him.
Should Don's family be upset with the coverage of his death? Sure. Its a subjective emotion, generated by negative coverage. That said, when you sign up for the job of local TV Weatherman, and live in the city, it obviously comes with some baggage. That guy sittin in his underwear, is gonna bug you in the produce aisle when you are at the grocery store. The moron thinks he knows you, and you are friends because he saw you on TV. Lady GaGa ain't gonna write a song about you, but you do get recognized. It comes with the territory.
(a local blogger's) coverage of the story, reflects the real time realities and necessities of breaking stories in this new journalistic tableau.
Here is, by the way, a ruling from a Federal Judge yesterday with regard to bloggers and their "Shield".
http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/judge-in-ore-rules-mont-blogger-in-defamation-case-isnt-a-journalist-not-shielded-by-laws/2011/12/07/gIQAAXCVdO_story.html
What is interesting to me, is not the actual ruling, but the attempt to rule at this level, which will no doubt be challenged.
The ability to categorize yourself as a journalist, by an Descartian ipso facto action, I blog, therefore, I am a journalist, is yet to be determined.
The wailing and gnashing of teeth, heard throughout the city from traditional mainstream vehicles and in the comments section of several blogs, concerning the suicide of Mr. Harman, speaks to change, but more saliently speaks to misplaced, narcissistic, identity pathologies of average citizens, who believe for sure that the movie playing in their head will include an interview by Oprah on national TV on how they felt the day they heard the news.
Inundated, drowning in "Reality" shows, we are reduced, diminished, "dumbed down" by way of incessant repetition and banality (Thats it, they should call them "Banality" shows.). That in no way, means YOU are hangin' with the Kardashians, or that they want you to hang with them. Or, that you actually knew Don Harman. Take a deep breath, he was a weather guy on your television.
The Geico Gecko is now officially unable to limbo his a** under our cultural bar without falling on his little green a**. Kris Jenner and the Kardashians are at the helm, and whats left of American dignity, intellect and probity just got flushed down the toilet after another Housewives of (You fill in your favorite county) *%*@( &^#%.
Is, was Don Harman's tragic end a sad story? Sure, for his family, and for his friends. Not you, ok, NOT YOU. Thats right YOU! The guy sitting in his underwear, drinkin' coffee while Don used to tell ya, with modest success, on the TV, what the f****** weather was gonna be. YOU did not know him.
Should Don's family be upset with the coverage of his death? Sure. Its a subjective emotion, generated by negative coverage. That said, when you sign up for the job of local TV Weatherman, and live in the city, it obviously comes with some baggage. That guy sittin in his underwear, is gonna bug you in the produce aisle when you are at the grocery store. The moron thinks he knows you, and you are friends because he saw you on TV. Lady GaGa ain't gonna write a song about you, but you do get recognized. It comes with the territory.
(a local blogger's) coverage of the story, reflects the real time realities and necessities of breaking stories in this new journalistic tableau.
Here is, by the way, a ruling from a Federal Judge yesterday with regard to bloggers and their "Shield".
http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/judge-in-ore-rules-mont-blogger-in-defamation-case-isnt-a-journalist-not-shielded-by-laws/2011/12/07/gIQAAXCVdO_story.html
What is interesting to me, is not the actual ruling, but the attempt to rule at this level, which will no doubt be challenged.
The ability to categorize yourself as a journalist, by an Descartian ipso facto action, I blog, therefore, I am a journalist, is yet to be determined.
I agree with the fact that reality TV and all the other media ways to stay on top of every single bit of news(a healthy thing?) has blurred our boundaries and inflamed our prurient curiosity. I am happy to say that I don't watch TV nor do I tweet. However, I am a curious person at times, which is a quality I try to suppress when I need to.
ReplyDeleteI don't really consider myself a journalist anyway. More of a freestyle ranter and part time humor columnist. Of course if someone was going to sue me they would first have to prove that "snaphead" is actually an insult. (grin)
ReplyDeleteWhat stunned my about the local reactions to Mr. Harman's death was the quick ability people had, time and again, to declare "He died this way..." or that and the ways they described were so ugly. They would write and swear to the most vicious things and then sign "anonymous." I never printed them. It was shockingly tasteless and just out-and-out mean, to the point of stupid.
ReplyDeleteOh, and you're right about Chuck--he's right. From now on, I'm going to refer to them as "banality shows", too, and give him credit.
ReplyDeleteOne last note on blogging and people who respond--it seems so pervasive that people have to swear and cuss and get ugly, too, doesn't it? It's such a shame and so unnecessary. It would be nice if people would refrain from it but it seems that just isn't going to happen.
ReplyDeleteMr. Harman died by his own hand.... any information desired beyond that is just rubber-necking the accident. Being fast with information does not obviate the need for it to be accurate. And unfounded speculation about someone's death is just rude.
ReplyDeleteAs a former reporter for a local paper I say this with some authority. CURIOSITY killed the cat. That is what drives the media period. You get what you ask for, right or wrong. When someone dies, people want to know of what? If you say suicide, they want to know HOW and WHY? It's human nature. I disagree with this other blogger's premise that this weatherman's viewers did NOT know him. Yes they did. He came into their lives everyday. There was a relationship there and they are entitled to grieve, just a little if he's gone.
ReplyDelete