I don’t often rant about things in the news, but I find myself so frustrated by some recent developments that I feel like I need to exercise some opinion here.

Cindy Sheehan

First of all, I don’t fault the lady for wanting to be heard and for doing everything she can to make her case known. However, the problem that I have is what the media has made her out to be.

Tonight I googled “Cindy Sheehan” and it came up with 3,090,000 websites that include her name and she’s on the front page of several major news websites. The average citizen (which is what she is) would be lucky to have 10 google results. But because of the media darling that she’s become, EVERYBODY seems to be writing about her. And now, we’re following her to LA. Why? In recent days, she’s began exploiting her mass media open mic by openly stating her opinions about foreign policy and other non-war related items. What’s amusing to me is that the media is using her and she is using them. it’s seems to be some kind of sick mutually beneficial relationship. COME ON! What makes them think that there aren’t other things in this world to report on beyond showing footage of Cindy on her way to LA?

I guess the reality is, I’ve seen what the media can do to an entire country and it makes me frustrated every time I see the machine in use. For example…

On September 11, 2001, myself and 17 other American’s were on the mission field in Nairobi, Kenya. Shortly after our arrival back to our guesthouse, we got word that an attack of some sort had just happened. Given that we were 8 hours ahead, we watched the whole thing unfold on an international CNN feed. While there was some initial fear and worry about our safety and mission, we felt like we needed to press on and fulfill our call to be there. After all, it wasn’t coincidence to God.

We didn’t have access to all of the media/news/wires that we have here in the states. We basically had to rely on Kenyan news sources, which included both fact and amateurish opinion pieces, and some infrequent television opportunities. Through these means we were able to distinguish the facts from the opinions and were able to stay up on the latest developments and outcomes. My point, we were informed.

Upon arrival back to the states approximately 8 days later, we learned that the people were seeing it very differently. The fear, pride, confusion, anger, frustration, disgust, hate, love, and a plethora of persistent emotions were thick and well oiled. My only conclusion was that the constant bombardment by the media about every detail known and not known had reved the engine of the collective emotions of millions of Americans and left them with a false sense of needing more. Please keep in mind that we were not devoid of the same emotions but because we weren’t being constantly fed…like a fire being stoked every hour…the burden of the events was lighter. In all, I was shocked at how the media had successfully captured the heart of an entire nation. Yes, it was tragedy. Yes, it was horrible. No, I’m not discounting peoples feelings. My point is, the media has power and a lot of it. I discovered that people had become paralyzed because of what they were constantly reading, hearing and seeing. It was almost like everybody was being overstimulated by what was happening and we had become addicted to the latest. It was comparable to staying up with the Jones’. If you didn’t know the latest, you were somehow odd and lacked social responsibility. So why do I bring back these memories? To prove my point.

Just like the media controlled our emotions, feelings and reactions to the events of 9/11, I fear that they have walked the same line with Cindy. In reality, there are many other mothers out there with stories that are much more horrific than hers. However, the media wants us to care about Cindy Sheehan. Why else would they tell, show and continue to report to us the condition of her mother in LA? Why do we need to know that? We don’t. But if the media can get us hooked into the story behind Cindy, then maybe we’ll stand for her too. So maybe Cindy represents the voice of the media. Maybe she’s the voice of CBS, NBC, ABC and CNN. Maybe she’s saying what they can’t say. Bring them home. Impeach the President. Be anti-Israel. Perhaps a recent article in Slate magazine says it best: “So, we must now say that, as well as being a vulgar producer of her own spectacle, and an embarrassment to her family, Cindy Sheehan is at best a shifty fantasist.”

So you choose. Choose how much of the media you soak in. How much you filter. How you read between the lines. Yet maybe we should choose to turn it off and read a good book.