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Posted: 03.26.2003 There's fifty-seven channels and nuthin' on
"If you've got people after four and a half days saying they've had enough of the war, think of the magnitude of that statement," [Robert Thompson, professor of media and popular culture at Syracuse University] said. "World War II took four years." (Full article at CNN.com.)
This quote really hit home with me. I got to the point Monday with Todd home all day where I couldn't stop crying. You may have noticed my lack of blogging. I was the same way after 9/11. The news-addict in me wants to stay informed, but the "bleeding-heart" in me just can't absorb all the pain that quickly. After such a bloody Sunday with one bad news story after the next, I guess I hit my limit. And we haven't even got to the most gruesome and bloody of the battles yet. I decided that I had to take a step back for awhile, and I'm trying to limit myself as best I can (unless of course something major develops). To be honest, I don't know how the warbloggers do it. All day. Every day. But WWII didn't have 24/7 coverage in living color, and they certainly didn't have as many (radio) networks and spin-off networks as we do today. Most war updates came in the form of black and white newsreels and cartoons before feature films, which were hardly instantaneous updates. Now we know the second sirens wail in Kuwait and see everyone grab their gas masks live. We see the bombs as they fall over Baghdad. We know the names of the fallen almost the instant men in uniforms appear at their family's doors. Gone are the days of Western Union telegrams. It's now, now, now -- get it on the air! Get the exclusive interview with the mom! Which only succeeds in making me start crying all over again... And although I'd hardly compare what we're going through now with what our nation faced during WWI and WWII, we are getting it faster -- we are getting it much more in your face -- and depending on the size and price of your TV, the battle scenes are so real and lifesize / lifelike they almost seem to be occurring right there live in your very own living room. That, to me, is magnitude. Footnote: After reading the whole CNN.com article mentioned above, I hope I never run into David White of Indianapolis. Because I'll spit in his face: "I'd much rather watch the [NCAA] tournament because I can make money on it," said David White, 30. "There's no war pool."  You know, that is so true. I am at my limit already too and it's been less than a week. I haven't seen any live war coverage, thankfully, and am going to try and avoid it. I personally think it's disgusting the way that we cover these atrocities now. It doesn't surprise me that so many people are indifferent to so much after a constant barrage of images that we should never have to see. Amen to spitting in that guy's face. ¤ ¤ credit: Kymberlie R. McGuire | 03.26.03 at 03:25 AM | link- -this ¤ ¤ i think that both warmongers and peaceniks can agree... David White needs to be sent to France. well, after we all beat the shit out of him... ¤ ¤ credit: mikey | 03.26.03 at 03:36 AM | link--this ¤ ¤ive mostly stopped watching tv. i listend to a bit of stuff on friday on the radio and finally had to turn it off. to hard to cry and drive. i know it's happeneing. i just don't need to see it, thanks. ¤ ¤ credit: Ruthie | 03.26.03 at 04:05 AM | link--this ¤ ¤What bothers me is that the amount of war coverage is not really for the sake of information. It all boils down to the network wanting the advertising $$ - which they can't charge unless they have the millions of viewers. In order to get those viewers, they have to televise more and more stuff that we *really* don't want to see... I am not tired of the war - I'm tired of the incessant coverage - the need to break into every dad gum program with a special bulletin. *sigh* -this ¤ ¤I've been physically ill since this all started. I cannot bear to have it on all the time. I think, in some weird way, it trivializes it. It makes it into a TV show. With the reporters in the faces of the relatives of people who just learned their loved ones were killed... I just hate it. It's like "Here's war, but we got all our newcasters standing by"? Ow. My stomach hurts again. ¤ ¤ credit: Robin | 03.26.03 at 08:46 AM | link--this ¤ ¤As a news addict, sometimes it all gets to be too much and I have to force myself to take a day off. It happened during the 2000 recount fiasco, and after 9/11. I'm not there yet with the war, but I'm sure it's coming. One of these nights I'll rent 2 or 3 dvds and not watch any news, and I'll sleep to the Light Classical digital music channel instead of CNN or FoxNews. Then I'll dive back in again. That David White guy is not only an asshat, but he's wrong. I read a Reuters article yesterday about all the different war bets the oddsmakers are taking. The most popular bet right now is whether Saddam lives or dies. ¤ ¤ credit: dave | 03.26.03 at 08:59 AM | link--this ¤ ¤I almost threw my TV out the other night when Channel 8 did a lead in to the news with a story about camels holding up advancing tanks followed immediately a story about a local kid killed in action. God damn, either do the sad story first or let me laugh for more than a second before breaking my heart. ¤ ¤ credit: a different Bill | 03.26.03 at 09:06 AM | link--this ¤ ¤Why send the guy to France? It's beautiful there and they have good cheese -- you need to send him somewhere not fun, without good cheese....maybe Khazakstan. Craig wants to watch the news coverage incessantly, but I can't handle it. From day one watching bombs dropping and the firefights, knowing that U.S. military and innocent Iraqis are dying, makes me sick to my stomach. This whole situation makes me ill. ¤ ¤ credit: Nicole | 03.26.03 at 09:08 AM | link--this ¤ ¤I hardly even watch tv. Just enough in the morning to get my update, and I'm sick of it all. If I never hear the words "shock and awe", "operation Iraqi freedom" and "embedded" again, it'll be too soon. ¤ ¤ credit: statia | 03.26.03 at 11:14 AM | link--this ¤ ¤*big hugs* Like you,Robyn, I just can't read the news anymore let onlone watch it. I feel tired, drawn out and beaten. My soul cries and every new image makes me weep more. I just want all the men and women who serve on both sides to be able to go back to thier homes. I want children to be able to play in the streets without fear. I want there to be no need for war and bloodshed. I know I sound naive in this matter, I know that in this world that these wishes will never be true. But damn it! I so wish it could be true. ¤ ¤ credit: munin | 03.26.03 at 11:34 AM | link--this ¤ ¤My 45" widescreen HDTV was meant for movies, not the real stuff. Of course, on a completely sarcastic note, even with HDTV those satellite phones look like shit. ¤ ¤ credit: Robb | 03.26.03 at 12:33 PM | link--this ¤ ¤I work at a local TV station which means it's next to impossible to escape it at work. Most of the time that's fine, I'm kinda addicted to TV. But after 9-11 I had a horrible time about a week after it all happened. I'm not going to get into it all here in your comments, but I did write a lot about it on the one year anniversary. I pretty much avoid news when I'm at home. I have to watch it at work, so the one place I can control is at home. I know if something huge happens work will call me, and I skim the Command Post a couple times a day to see what's going on. I discovered after 9-11 that I can't handle watching news 24/7 so I don't any more. I can't imagine being one of those guys or gals over there that HAVE to live it all the time. At least we have a choice to turn it off. ¤ ¤ credit: Sunidesus | 03.26.03 at 01:31 PM | link--this ¤ ¤Tell that idiot Dave White to go here so he can bet on something a little bigger than himself. I'm a supporter of this war. I think that SH is a threat to us, and that we're one of the only countries with the gonads to take care of business. I want to see the Iraqis freed. I want to see the children playing with toys, not weapons. I want to be able to know that SH is not saying "You're Next" to America. I want peace for Iraq, and the only way the'll get it is when that monster is removed from power. But I also know of the greif. On Monday, I lost a neighbor in this war. I never wanted Greg, or any of them to die. However, Greg knew what he wanted in life. If he were to die, then he wanted to die defending the freedom of this country, so that others would live in freedom. I'm sick of the images too. But I will keep watching, praying, and hoping for our troops. The knot in my throat will keep it very real for me to know what is at stake here: FREEDOM. ¤ ¤ credit: Kathryn | 03.26.03 at 04:44 PM | link--this ¤ ¤The war news is really over the top. Do we really NEED 24-hour coverage? God knows the news channels have always found a semi-reasonable variety of topics to yammer about before, I don't see why it should have to be any different now. I also can't help but worry that the "embedded journalists" are giving out way too much information, in spite of cnn.com's cute little disclaimer at the bottom of every damned war story they insist on running. Currently, I'm limiting my TV coverage to my treadmill time at the gym. ¤ ¤ credit: Babz | 03.27.03 at 02:52 AM | link--this ¤ ¤Babz- we dont need 24 hour exposure to it, as individuals. But I very much like the idea that the cable news outlets (cnn, fox, msnbc, etc) are providing 24 hour coverage, because that means that the average person can tune in for half an hour at any time and get caught up on the war, rather than having to catch the news at either 6 or 10 or wait until tomorrow, like it was when I was growing up. Yes, you can also get caught up to some degree online, any time you want. But not everyone is online, or knows where to go to get good info. And besides, on the web you don't get live shots of David Bloom or FoxNews' sexy-even-if-a-bit-daft anchorettes. ¤ ¤ credit: dave | 03.27.03 at 09:11 AM | link--this ¤ ¤"depending on the size and price of your TV" on my 10 yr. old 15" inch tv it doesn't really feel that lifelike, esp. the sat. phone things that gives me old atari missle command flashbacks. ¤ ¤ credit: JE | 03.27.03 at 09:20 AM | link--this ¤ ¤The one thing that I am DEEPLY concerned about is the news networks giving us too much information. Not about bombings or the images of war, but planning and strategy that our troops are executing. Our news channels are VERY closly monitored by the Republic Buttmunches. Even though I'm as glued to CNN as the next worried person, I do think that a media blackout would be a good idea if the reporters get a whiff of top secret info. That's another 2 pennies chucked your way from me. ¤ ¤ credit: Kathryn | 03.27.03 at 10:53 AM | link--this ¤ ¤i wouldnt be overly concerned about that. our military folks aren't going to tell the press more than they need to know. in fact, i suspect that a lot of what they are telling them is disinformation, because they know the whole world is watching. the "embeds" as they're now calling them don't know all that much either. individual units in the field generally dont have enough of the big picture mission information to be dangerous. they know their mission, and not a lot else. if we were up against a more formidable opponent, i might be more concerned about this. but frankly, i think we could tell the iraqi military exactly where we are, where we're headed, and when we expect to be there and still kick their asses pretty convincingly when we showed up. remember, their troops are poorly trained and most of their weaponry is 1960's era soviet garbage. ¤ ¤ credit: dave | 03.27.03 at 11:39 AM | link--this ¤ ¤Not to mention, the military wanted the news outlets there. They were invited. There's a reason they have more front-lines access this time than in Gulf War I. I just worry about watching a reporter get gased or blown to bits on live TV... ¤ ¤ credit: robyn | 03.27.03 at 12:31 PM | link--this ¤ ¤I agree in principle, although there are one or two that I really wouldn't mind... nah, that's just mean. ¤ ¤ credit: dave | 03.27.03 at 12:50 PM | link--this ¤ ¤Hey, Robyn, I agree - we don't need war coverage 24/7. However, the news stations are foaming at the mouth about that prospect. Gives them true news instead of the fluff; well, at least it gives them fluff about real news! Dave White should be forced to reveal his home address for making that remark. Maybe after a few thousand angry letters he'd feel a bit differently about pools! ¤ ¤ credit: BillH | 03.27.03 at 10:14 PM | link--this ¤ ¤you showed up in my stats log (wander-lust works on occasion!). I loved this post. the consensus in these parts is that the war coverage is just glossy enough to qualify as the new "reality tv." ¤ ¤ credit: Veronica | 03.30.03 at 09:42 AM | link--this ¤ ¤
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