I'm sure by now, most of you have seen or at least heard of this video. I thought I would post it and see what you all think of it, and also perhaps say a few things for you to consider before or while you react to it.
ok now that you've watched this and your feathers are noticeably ruffled, try and think about these things.
1. These guys are obviously ON television to create a stir, so whether they even care about what they're saying is debatable.
2. While we may not like what they say, there is such thing as freedom of speech and it is extremely important, even when it takes the form of crap like this.
3. Fox news is already a joke. It's not like Brian Williams was bashing us there, it was the mook who invented Twitter.
Also, the host of the show has already issued an apology, even if it was mildly half-assed, saying that the segment was 'in no way meant to offend the brave men and women of the Canadian military'. I wonder what exactly it was meant to accomplish? Other than brash American broadcasters tooting their own horns, whether or not said tootage was deserved.
A friend of mine recently said to me, in regards to this video ( I'm paraphrasing here) 'I wish we could speak to them personally and hold them accountable for things like this'.
I agree with that. However the on-air talent, objectionable as it is, is on the air for a reason. They weren't hired by accident. So the problems with this network go far above and beyond what we actually see. The problem with news shows such as these is that research isn't important, seeming off the cuff and cool is. They use a medium that they have the priviledge to have access to, to attack an opponent that has no means of direct response. I find this gutless and despicable. However, we have to understand, as a people, that these guys really just don't know what they're talking about and their opinions shouldn't give us a moments pause. They simply aren't worth it.
NOTE:
here is some public backlash
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I couldn't make it through that video as I cannot stand dumb (unintelligent is too nice of a word for idiocy like that) and pompous people. gag.
ReplyDeleteHmm... Well, I've already taken a moments pause, so it probably wont kill me to take a few more and add a little blurb.
ReplyDeleteAmericans live in a bubble. I don't know if I can blame them for their ignorance, because I think we're all ignorant to an extent. Call it human nature, call it laziness, but you make a good point: The truth doesn't improve network ratings. Controversy does. Conflict does. Just look at how much attention this thing has garnered already. For better or worse, whether Fox has benefited from this fiasco or not, someone somewhere has made a ton of money as a result of this.
American ignorance aside, the only part that irks me is this "big brother" syndrome that they seem to adhere to. Assumptions like, the only reason why Canadians enjoy the freedom we do is because we border the United States; as if Canada is incapable of self-sustainment, and we would be immediately invaded if the US didn't "have our backs." Please...
I guess if you measure world power by the size of your military, then there's no question that America is the last remaining superpower in the world. It's a terrible responsibility to carry on your shoulders, and I guess all things considered, they've done as best they can. It's a shame that the country is so media-dependent, because most Americans will probably agree with most of what was said on that show. Most Americans wont bother researching Canada's actual involvement in the War on Terror, and the sacrifices we've made. Most Americans will probably laugh it off, crawl back into the cave from whence they came and continue to digest the useless garbage that comes from their TV programing.
Fair enough.
ReplyDeleteanother point to be made is that while we wouldnt be able to take a break from war like this if we werent a neighbour of the US, we probably wouldnt be in the war in the first place if we werent their neighbour.
However, by talking about this, we legitimize their opinions as journalists, whereas we should really just be laughing in their faces. So screw em.