College Times

Issue date: 11/5/09 Section: Blogs

Media Credit: photos.com

One of the worst things a parent can tell their child is that they're disappointed in them.

Mad? Fine.

Angry? Even better.

Pissed off? Fan-friggin'-tastic.

But disappointed? Ooh, that stings a bit.

Disappointment carries some weight, because immediately, the person in the wrong knows they should have done something differently, or chosen the higher road.

And with this, readers, I'm a little disappointed in you. Not just you though. Your friends and their friends, and even everyone's parents and grandparents and coworkers and acquaintances.

I'm disappointed in you and your reactions to Balloon Boy. Don't know who Balloon Boy is? Google it. I don't even want to address it here.

Now, before you throw the paper down in disgust because as a member of the media I'm not taking responsibility for how we handled reporting on the hoax, I agree: The media did it again. They blew it waaaaay out of proportion.

They exacerbated something that could have been subject to a mini-update every other hour - don't forget the rumor was indeed that there was a boy inside the freakin' thing, so I don't think every other hour is out of the question. But, instead, the media used an entire 24-hour period (plus reactionary time after the fact) to capture this "event," while clogging the airwaves for hours on end.

However, as we know, it takes two to tango. I think viewers need to be held accountable as well. Just like the supply/demand principle says, if there's a demand (or if people are glued to their televisions or computer screens hanging on every inch of video being shown), then the suppliers will do their duty and supply (the media will give the viewers what they want: a shot of the balloon from every possible angle, with speculation upon speculation as to the boy's condition).

What's more is that after the public found out that it was a hoax and there really wasn't anything to worry about, they washed their hands clean and took the "Chalk it up to the ol' media machine" argument.

Society, I'm disappointed in your performance in the wake of the Balloon Boy incident, just as I was about the way you handled the whole "swine flu" epidemic.

I saw you get wrapped up in the media hype, searching "swine flu" on Google News, and even setting up an RSS feed for your work and personal email accounts, so that you'd always be in-the-know.

Yes, I'm disappointed in you, society, because you fed the "machine" with your long-lasting desire to know everything about Balloon Boy and swine flu. Ever think if you switched the television off, they might stop reporting on this nonsense?

That's a nice thought, but it probably won't happen. The media will always find some hook to grab us into their reports. I guess it's just part of the beast.

Just next time remember this excellent piece of information I'm paraphrasing from one of my lifelong heroes, gold-chain wearin', afro-mohawk rockin', fool pityin' Mr. T himself: Check yo'self, foo.

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