Week Sauce (4/14 - 4/20)

Good evening (Hitchcock voice).  We all know what went down this week, so instead of pretending that there were more newsworthy events, I decided to provide some candid commentary on the Boston Marathon bombing.

First and foremost, the tragic events that occurred on Monday and carried on throughout the week should not be downplayed.  That disgusting act was committed by an equally disgusting individual or group of individuals.

This event solidified many opinions I hold about the media, the government, and our society as a whole.  Rather than rehash what happened in Boston, let me just get to the source of my opinions.



The Media: From now on, I refuse to refer to anyone who appears on any televised "news" source as a journalist, or what they do as journalism.  They are just the media to me, no better than TMZ.  As I sadly watched CNN and Fox News (I know, I know) to get updates on the situation in Boston, I was lead down many inaccurate paths.

First there was a suspect in custody, then 5 minutes later there wasn't.  Then it was this guy. Sorry wrong guy.  It's definitely this guy.  Oops, my bad, its really this guy, but could still could be these two guys.  Speculation based news.

If I wanted theories or accounts of what might have happened, I would just ask my 70 year old grandma to tell me what happened.

It was like all journalistic integrity was tossed out the window in order to beat the Twitter-verse to the story.  What happened to getting the facts straight first in order to give the deserving public an educated account of events?

Not only were basic journalistic practices ignored, but there was an utter disregard for general respect for other human beings.  All of those photos of possible suspects that were plastered across millions of television screens worldwide could have gotten people killed.  What if an angry mob recognized the first suspect (the one that was "suspiciously" running away from the explosion with burnt clothes...by the way, isn't that what you're supposed to do when a bomb goes off?) or someone who looked like him, and converged on him in some form of vigilante justice?  What could CNN say?  Sorry?  They would be just as wrong as the alleged bombers.

Thankfully nothing like that took place, but with such irresponsible news reporting, it easily could have.  The news...excuse me, the media sucks in serious situations.

The Government:  I will keep this section short, I'm not trying to be the object of surveillance. Attention Government...if you want to be trusted by the general public, stop moving like crooks do.  All conspiracy theories aside, we all know that there is more to this story than what you're giving us, so stop treating us like idiots.

Don't cover things up with distractions, just be honest with us.  By all means, don't tell us the actual truth, that could end bad.  Just let me know there's some shit I don't need to know and you will not tell me.  I can understand and respect that.  For me, no explanation is better than a bullshit explanation.

Society: This week, citizens of Boston banded together and assisted the many law enforcement agencies working on the case with tips and amateur videos.  They respected a citywide lock down and allowed armed officers to enter their homes with guns drawn to help find the remaining suspect.  End result, the suspect is now in custody.

What an amazing site to see this type of citizen and authority cooperation, especially when the world is watching.  My question to you, America, is where is this sense of community when the shades are drawn and the world can't see into our house?

Why can't we see this sense of urgency from our police when a six month old baby is shot in cold blood on the streets of Chicago? Where was this "no rest until the killer is found" 24/7 mentality then? Did a task force go door to door to find Jonylah Watkin's killers?  I don't remember that happening.

"But, Mr. Conscious Residue (for those who aren't familiar with my name)," one might rebut, "this was a clear act of terrorism.  The resulting actions fit the crime."  I'm sorry, but knowing that a six month old girl was shot while having her diaper changed is no less a terrorizing action then a marathon bombing.  Both actions are revolting and deserve the same results...JUSTICE.

If these thugs out here terrorizing their neighborhood had thoughts that their actions and gun play would result in a citywide lock down that would not end until they were brought to justice, I think they would find alternative ways to increase their income and solve their problems.  If they knew law enforcement would come at them full force, their thought process would probably open up and diversify.

By my calculations, we've got about another week or two before this manufactured patriotism wears off, and we all go back to our isolated worlds and ignoring the daily acts of terrorism that this country commits on itself.  Let's not wait until the next time the world is watching.  If the next set of evil-doers know we the citizens are watching, then maybe they will think twice.  F*ck being temporary 'Mericans in times of crisis, lets be full time AMERICANS all day, everyday.

That's all I got.  Until the next tragedy, people.  You're welcome.