Thursday, April 18, 2013

N is for Nunca

Nunca means never. Never trust the media. Always look at things objectively and find out for yourself.

Nunca be afraid to take a chance. When I was 18 and I told people I was going to travel to Peru alone the reactions I got ranged between "omg please don't die," "You're gonna get kidnapped" and long speeches from people telling me how much they loved me as if they'd never see me again. I didn't say I was going to travel to the war torn parts of the middle east but I might as well have. The media has many people so afraid to travel to anywhere that isn't the carribbean or Europe that it's ridiculous. Anyway, I can assure you that South America is not that dangerous. I mean, you could get killed anywhere. Obviously, some places are more dangerous than others and you have to use common sense (if that even still exists). But, there are many developing countries that are quite modern. You can live in a way that's quite similar to your developed country lifestyle, if you can believe it!

I also got asked some depressing questions like; "Do they have cell phones down there?" Yes, dear. "So, is that in Africa?" Yes, yes, it's in Africa...*doh* "Are you gonna live in a mud hut then?" Negative. "You better practice carrying water on your head" I'll keep that in mind, thanks. So, perhaps the media needs some stories about how developing countries really are to ease the worries of these people. Thank goodness for those few people who assured me I'd have a great time. I love you!

The sad thing I found was that many people down there had the opposite ignorance about the developed world. I often got comments like "wow, everything is perfect in your country, I wanna live there." "Bet you aren't used to waiting in traffic, hey?" "You're lucky there aren't any gangs in Canada." "Everyone in Canada is rich so there's no problems there." Come on media, use your influence to show people the realities of the world! Nunca believe what you hear about a place until you've gone there to see for youself. And by that-to people who've been to a resort in Cancun and think they know everything about Mexico- I mean really visit a place. Not just go to the "safe" area made for tourists.

And, as insensitive as it may be to say, the media have also failed us in their coverage of the Boston Marathon bombings. It's all that's on the news. Yes, it's terrible. Yes, I feel awful for that adorable little boy my facebook friends make me look at everytime I sign in but it's because I am constantly told his story. It's in my face. I'm made to feel terrible. If a foreign terrorist group is behind this I dread to think of what the U.S. will do next- how many people will their government kill in their search for "revenge?" And, thanks to the media making everybody so angry about what happened and so affected by the death of this little boy they never knew, many people will want that revenge. They will welcome "justice" no matter how expensive or costly it could be to other innocent people (whose deaths they may never hear about thanks to their excellent media). It would be better for the world if an American is behind this because then the justice would be contained to the U.S. with life in jail or the death sentence in some states. Thanks, media for manipulating us. What about the thousands of victims to U.S. military attacks in the middle east? What about the millions of people across the world dieing of hunger every day? We are so insensitived to everything that isn't constantly shoved in our face. Do we really need the life story of a deceased child to feel something for another person? Yes. I think we do, because people die every few seconds, often of things that could be prevented if people actually cared about things that aren't happening in front of their eyes. It's the fact that being an American citizen makes you more important than being a citizen of Somalia, for example, that has people in a state. (What! How could something like that happen here, in America?) Well, I don't think that where you live should determine your value as a human being, and I do not like the coverage this event has been getting because it downplays everything else that is awful and terrible. I bet whoever did this is loving the attention they are getting, too.

Also, Friends is not coming back on air.

No comments: