The American media twists the narrative of terrorism to produce worthy victims in line with our political ideologies and sympathies: sympathizing with Russian citizens for a terrorist bombing associated with their state's oppression of Chechnya; sympathizing with Iraqis killed in bombings by extremists many Iraqis clandestinely support; the news narratives tend to reflect the majority viewpointDoes the media create narratives and worthy victims/heroes elsewhere, evolving around a different theme? Do different levels of news see the same story with a different narrative and victim?
The 2nd Amendment political action group Buckeye Firearms certainly believes so. Tim Inwood writes that "sensational stories dealing with the misuse of firearms always seem to make the headlines, and if the body count is high enough they go national. However, we almost never hear of a positive use of a firearm in the defense of the innocent stopping a slaughter."
Is this a common narrative? I looked at several articles dealing with home invasions to see if the latter part of his thesis is true.
At 1:30am, two masked gunmen burst into a Daytona Beach home, pointing a gun at 37-year-old Randal Mckee. Mckee’s 32-year-old roommate pulled out his own gun and fired at the gunmen; both gunmen fled. The gunmen had connections with drugs and that the violent home invasion was not a random act. No report of this incident on the national news.
A local Washington State news station released this interesting report about a senior citizen's self-defense, two weeks after losing his wife. Again, no mention on the national news.
The Orlando Sentinel released this article with this lede: "Charles Johnson is a man of his word. On Oct. 4, 1936, then 19, Johnson promised to love and protect his bride, Berlie Mae." The 91 year old saves his wife when the couple are held at gunpoint in their own home by firing at the gunmen with a hidden pistol under his seat. The situation was portrayed a story of heroics, elderly love, and youthfulness. Did this make the national media? CNN, MSNBC, and CBS archives indicate no.
A Phoenix, Arizona news outlet reported a home invasion where four men were taken captive by gunmen that demanded money from them. One captive found a shotgun, killing a gunman and injuring the other. As far as stories are archived, it was not mention on national news.
A Bakersfield, California elderly man was at home with his wife and grandson. When the 9 year old grandson noticed a burglary, the grandfather confronted the burglar which leveled at rifle at him. Before the burglar could shoot, the grandfather stunned the burglar with a shot, and held him until the police could arrive. This story, covered extensively by The Californian with pictures and quotes, never made any other non-local news outlet.
Atlanta, Georgia college students were having a birthday party when two armed gunmen entered the apartment, separated the men and women at gunpoint, and demanded cash and cell phones. The men checked for ammo to ensure they "had enough" to kill the ten students. As one gunman prepared to rape an armed student's girlfriend, the armed student pulled a shotgun out of his backpack and shot both gunmen, saving ten people's lives. "His intent was to rape and murder us all", a student said. The story was never reported on national media.
Does the national news ever report violent home invasions? All the time. National news outlet MSNBC reported this story where a woman was held a gunpoint in her home as they robbed her house. They also reported this story where a woman was locked in her bathroom as gunmen again robbed her home. Home invasions seem to be newsworthy subjects for national news outlets.
Nationally, murders of defenseless, unarmed civilians always make the national news. The murder of a four member family "shook the suburban community, prompted legislative changes in the state, and attracted the attention of the national media", according to CNN. Sob stories of home invasion murders, involving one death, children, or a gang of gunmen, easily attract national news media attention. National news media frequently post videos of footage of gunmen in the security camera along with 911 calls. The murder of an unarmed woman, barricaded in her home, was reported by CBS. The New York Times also has articles on home invasions, such as this one in Florida, in different parts of the country where a murder occurs. They also reported a home invasion by gunmen that assaulted a woman.
Anywhere one turns, horrifying home-invasions of a helpless victim, murdered by people wielding guns, makes the news. Car chases, arrests, hostage situations that involve no-heroism and no-violence frequently make prime time news. Stories of armed citizens confronting these gunmen and saving the lives of several other people don't.
Media has a responsibility to reveal injustices, especially when people die as a direct or indirect result of a law. In fact, when injustices arise concerning racial or gender discrimination, corporate abuse, and the environment, news media hard news stories and commentators can be highly vocal - whenever the media outlet believes such discussion is inline with its corporate interests. When it comes to armed self-defense, however, things change.
When an Illinois resident man used a handgun, purchased legally years before, in self-defense against a burglar that had stolen his keys the day before, Wilimette village officials pressed charges for violation of the township's local hand gun ban.
An Ohio woman watched helplessly as an armed gunman confronted her husband and shot him. Although owning a concealed carry permit, she had to leave her gun in her parked car due to a law banning handguns in restaurants. The woman testified in an Ohio Congressional hearing which was considering reforming the law. The injustice associated with the law and her story was nowhere to be found on national media. What does this say about the media's priorities and belief about worthy victims and heroes? Reading the reader's comments of the Bakersfield self-defense incident, I noticed that everyone praised and revered the grandfather as a hero for his actions.
If the national news media ever covered self-defense incidents, I would wonder what their narrative toward these gun owners would be. Would it be like the Toledo Tribune's editorial that condemned store-keepers for using guns in defense against armed robbery? Or would the alternative - heroism for those that defend themselves - seem to unattractive to a media conglomerates heavily vested in promoting certain ideologies, and appealing to a politically-homogeneous, loyal viewership.
Is the mainstream media's ignorance toward stories of heroic self-defense (like that of ninth-grader Jeff May during a school massacre) as Tim Inwood claims in his essay, a reflection of a new attitude about self-empowerment in American minds, which Nietzsche has called a 'slave-mentality'? A sign of changing perceptions in America? Such a narrative begs a reconsideration of the idea of America - the idea that America is as a land and home of the free and brave.
http://www.buckeyefirearms.org/node/7195
http://www.wral.com/golo/blogpost/2193548/
http://www.valleycentral.com/news/story.aspx?id=402271
http://www.buckeyefirearms.org/node/7195
http://www.king5.com/news/local/One-man-shot-during-possible-home-burglary-in-Carnation-90084097.html
http://www.wsbtv.com/news/19365762/detail.html
No comments:
Post a Comment