Not that anything that ended up so horrifically could really be called "successful" by any reasonable human being...
Of course that kind of bloody outcome almost always happens when anyone involves themselves in a situation involving guns, and you just know that, whenever the armed police, army units, or special tactical forces are going to attempt to "resolve" a situation, then blood will inevitably be shed, and it will not always just be the people holding the guns that will pay with that blood.
And so, whilst the news was telling us that the Security Forces were settling down for a "long siege", they were already "secretly" planning the forced entry which brought that sad day to its unhappy end, and, whilst it's difficult to imagine how else it might have been resolved, historically, the outcome that you get is obviously how it will be remembered as having turned out, and sometimes broadcasting the lie is the only answer, because that's usually far more easy to defend in hindsight, should your actions need defending.
But there probably isn't any other way to handle the media in this day and age, because the perpetrators and hostage-takers all have SmartPhones, too, and "helpful" people will be Tweeting about what's happening no matter how much you try to explain that this really isn't helping the situation one bit, not least because there will always be some people who are siding with the bloody gunman whilst everyone else is looking on in sheer horror and fear as whatever happens happens, and, sometimes, right before their terrified (or fascinated) eyes.
Because, no matter how much we may have played in the playgrounds and fairgrounds, most normal, well-adjusted people are - or at least ought to be - utterly terrified of guns because they are, basically (and this might be stating the bleeding obvious but some people do seem to forget this from time to time) lethal weapons.
Because, no matter how much we may have played in the playgrounds and fairgrounds, most normal, well-adjusted people are - or at least ought to be - utterly terrified of guns because they are, basically (and this might be stating the bleeding obvious but some people do seem to forget this from time to time) lethal weapons.
Not only that, but the circling news helicopters and the phalanx of reporters awing "developments" all have their cameras trained onto the scene all of the time, which makes any kind of "stealth" approach or "secret" plan almost impossible to execute without everybody else, including the madman with the gun, knowing all about it almost before it happens.
But the "24 Hour Rolling News" Monster needs to be fed, and the food it likes most of all is "exciting" video footage, which is why so many channels went over "Live" to watch developments unfold as they were happening, because they've all grown up knowing the impact that those images of the SAS taking back the Iranian Embassy in London way back in 1980 had around the world, and they're all hoping for a slice of that sort of tragic pie, no matter how much they may try and deny it.
Otherwise they might just have been above making yet another story segment out of a genuine, human, emotional response from one of their own.
But, sadly, not.
After all, out of such sensationalist moments are careers made, even though somebody completely innocent usually has to suffer for those images to be created, and we all forget that at our peril as we share the "exciting" story amongst our peers, and the next, far worse story unfolds, as inevitably it must, to squeeze out the last tragedy, and that focus moves on to it next, and, even though you've convinced yourself that things can't get any worse (surely?), it inevitably seems that they will, and, indeed, actually - and almost unbelievably - did today.
Because these days, the whole world is just a Big Top for the Media Circus to perform in, and the rest of us are just potential acts just waiting behind the curtain for our moment to go on and amuse both the Ringmasters and the baying, howling crowds in the audience.
I hope for everyone's sake that you all manage to stay out of the Ring, my friends.
Keep safe.
But the "24 Hour Rolling News" Monster needs to be fed, and the food it likes most of all is "exciting" video footage, which is why so many channels went over "Live" to watch developments unfold as they were happening, because they've all grown up knowing the impact that those images of the SAS taking back the Iranian Embassy in London way back in 1980 had around the world, and they're all hoping for a slice of that sort of tragic pie, no matter how much they may try and deny it.
Otherwise they might just have been above making yet another story segment out of a genuine, human, emotional response from one of their own.
But, sadly, not.
After all, out of such sensationalist moments are careers made, even though somebody completely innocent usually has to suffer for those images to be created, and we all forget that at our peril as we share the "exciting" story amongst our peers, and the next, far worse story unfolds, as inevitably it must, to squeeze out the last tragedy, and that focus moves on to it next, and, even though you've convinced yourself that things can't get any worse (surely?), it inevitably seems that they will, and, indeed, actually - and almost unbelievably - did today.
Because these days, the whole world is just a Big Top for the Media Circus to perform in, and the rest of us are just potential acts just waiting behind the curtain for our moment to go on and amuse both the Ringmasters and the baying, howling crowds in the audience.
I hope for everyone's sake that you all manage to stay out of the Ring, my friends.
Keep safe.
No comments:
Post a Comment