Sniper kills dozens around Wash. DC. Kid shoots neighbors and then anyone standing on the street as he drives away. Man kills college instructors and then himself. Newspapers and TV news love stories about murder and death because we watch and are fascinated (therefore enabling them to sell advertising). The world is a dangerous place - we could get shot, run over or might buy something we don't need after watching a story about a murderer. Is there something about this that doesn't seem to make sense?

The problem with News is that while a story may be fascinating (especially to our naturally morbid curiosity), News is seldom the truth. The problem has to do with the way certain facts of life are abstracted from their context, as if outside that context their true meaning will survive.

Suppose I saw a TV news preview: "Man has large boil on ass, pictures at 11:00". Depending on my interests, I might watch, but will I know anything about the man. Don't understand my point?

Try this one: "USA has 12 00 deaths a day and 1250 births, and we are going to show you pictures of the most heinous deaths in your face until you think the culture in which this happens is properly characterized by this form of representation." Getting the point yet?

People die all the time. Sometimes they are murdered. This is not news, its just life. The News doesn't really tell us what the truth is about a culture or a place or a family or a murder suspect. In fact the News isn't about the reality at all, its only about the sizzle and spice. If you want to know something or understand something you won't get it from the News. The News is all empty calories.

Now maybe there is a question in there. Maybe we might want to know something deeper about ourselves or our culture or some part of the world, because of something the News brings us. But don't expect the News to provide that. If you make your understanding of something out of what you get on the 11:00 o'clock News, then you won't know crap.

And, if all you know is crap, then what good are your opinions! Just recycled crap.

Sure, you do have a right to your opinions, but don't confuse crap with the truth. The truth is hard to come by. You have to work at it. You want to loose weight, or build up muscle, you know you have to work at it. You want to know something, you want your mind not to be full of crap, then put something worthwhile in it. Crap in, crap out. Effort in, something of worth out. Its your world. Fill it up with crap, guess what it will be like. Put some effort into understanding it, wow it sure doesn't taste like crap anymore! Originally posted October 28, 2002.