12-24-2014, 10:31 AM
(12-24-2014, 08:27 AM)Cutz Wrote: So if you were in a cult, and the cult leader says the cult needs more money, and your brainwashed, misguided self signs your life savings over... that's just you being an idiot? No blame falls on the cult leader?
I only blame protesters for rioting. I only blame the NYC mayor for the policies he enacted or didn't enact to ensure the safety of his citizens. But I blame the media for brainwashing everyone. The news sensationalizes and sells violence. They compete to scare and intimidate viewers to get higher ratings. They'll paint whatever picture they think sells, without any aim at unbiased reporting. The media in general does the same thing. I'll blame them for everything from teen suicide to rising divorce rates.
You're obviously free to blame the media for the stories it covers and the diverse reactions of those who follow the stories. I just don't share your view point, though I do agree that some media sources peddle sensationalism. In any case, I don't see the American public as members of a media-run cult.
If an individual or organization brainwashes others and directs them to commit crimes, they can be charged with conspiracy or accessory. Like Charles Manson, like the women who dupe some love-sick dope into offing their husbands, like terrorist leaders, etc... I don't see the media instructing the public to commit crimes at all, and I read/watch a lot of news from a variety of sources. I therefore don't view the media as conspirators or accessories to the crimes of Eric Frein, the Millers, Ismaaily Brinsley, or any other troubled disgruntled citizens who target people in authority. I also don't blame the media for citizens who legally engage in lifestyles of which you disapprove.
If people become brainwashed by the media, they're mentally or emotionally deficient or unstable from the get-go, IMO. That's the often unaddressed root problem, not the media. And, some stories are simply sensational and emotion-provoking in their pure form. I don't think controversial and provocative stories should be suppressed from media coverage because they might set an unstable person(s) off.
I do believe that some media organizations should be more responsible and I actively seek out fact-based reporting myself, still don't blame sensationalized media coverage for the crimes of others though. Likewise, I don't blame explicit and violent lyrics for the crimes of those who listen to them, even though I think some of the artists behind them are sensationalistic and irresponsible.
Bottom line: freedom of speech, expression, press, and assembly are rights which are as important to me as the right to bear arms is to some who covet second amendment rights. When people break the law in the process of exercising those rights, they can be arrested and prosecuted for those unlawful actions. I'm not aware of the media breaking any laws in regards to any of the stories mentioned in my post to which you responded.