The Media

[Modeps]

I've become to truly hate the media and their practices. Everything is a story. Everything can be shown and reported about on television, in a newspaper, or on the Internet. Sorry, but I just don't agree with that at all.

The media has recently become moreso the hand of the devil, broadcasting images of US Soldiers "humiliating" Iraqi prisoners. Now while many of us stand back and say "well that's just not nice" and others say "serves them right", humiliation is not something that is taken lightly by the Arab world. Yesterday, in retaliation to the images, a group affiliated with Osama decided to take a perfectly innocent, 26 year old American in Iraq on consulting work, videotaped themselves chopping off his head, and put it on the Internet. While it may or may not have been their actual motivation, it definatley served as a catylyst.

They broadcasted the first 10 seconds of the video last night on the news, and while zero blood was shed, I was sick to my stomach. I can't imagine what must have been going through his head... knowing he was minutes from death.

In war there are prisoners. They have information. Whoever takes the prisoners wants that information and typically they will not give it up. So the captors use interrigation techniques. Torture, per se, is against the Geneva Convention, but anyone with half a brain knows it goes on anyway. They do it to us, we do it to them and the world continues to turn. We dont need images broadcast all over the world to show how "terrible" we are for forcing some naked insurgent to wear a women's panties on his head.

The media is caught up in getting the "best" story and fail to realize what exactly their actions could do to the world. While this little snippet of writing will not change a thing, I just wish that all the anchors out there would show a little discression for a change and not just try to win their Pulitzer.

 

[Red Dawn]

Even if the American and Western Media didn't show those pictures of the Iraqi detainese being abused you can bet your Bottom Dollars the Middle Eastern Media would have.

Now if those fscks who abused the Iraqi Detaineses hadn't of taken pictures of themselves doing it then at most the reportsd would have just been word of mouth. You can't blame the Media, you can blame those who commited those atrocities on both sides!

 

[StageLeft]

The media gives people what they want. That is all the media cares about.

Perhaps my reading comprehension is low but it seems that you're on the one hand thoroughly disgusted at how that man was beheaded and on the other hand turning a blind eye to prisoner abuse/torture.

The media is caught up in getting the "best" story and fail to realize what exactly their actions could do to the world.

The media tortured nobody. They are merely bringing out the facts.

Torture, per se, is against the Geneva Convention, but anyone with half a brain knows it goes on anyway. They do it to us, we do it to them and the world continues to turn. We dont need images broadcast all over the world to show how "terrible" we are for forcing some naked insurgent to wear a women's panties on his head.

Yes, you do, so that people who think that their sh*t doesn't smell can have their hypocrisy illustrated.

 

[Modeps]

Originally posted by: Skoorb
The media gives people what they want. That is all the media cares about.

Perhaps my reading comprehension is low but it seems that you're on the one hand thoroughly disgusted at how that man was beheaded and on the other hand turning a blind eye to prisoner abuse/torture.

Perhaps I didnt make my point well enough. I feel more or less a cause and effect situation. Now that they know what we're doing to their men, they can justify killing their prisoners. The photos bothered me too, I'm not saying they didnt... It's not really that I'm turning a blind eye. I dont like torture, but it happens and there's really nothing that can be done.

Originally posted by: Red Dawn
Even if the American and Western Media didn't show those pictures of the Iraqi detainese being abused you can bet your Bottom Dollars the Middle Eastern Media would have.

How would they have posted them? Perhaps I missed something in the articles I've read, but who specifically let these photos come out? The soldiers or someone else? These pictures should not have gotten out ANYWHERE. Hell, they shouldnt have even been taken.

Perhaps I'm just disgusted with everything lately.

 

[Red Dawn]

Originally posted by: Modeps
[

Originally posted by: Red Dawn
Even if the American and Western Media didn't show those pictures of the Iraqi detainese being abused you can bet your Bottom Dollars the Middle Eastern Media would have.

How would they have posted them? Perhaps I missed something in the articles I've read, but who specifically let these photos come out? The soldiers or someone else? These pictures should not have gotten out ANYWHERE. Hell, they shouldnt have even been taken.

Perhaps I'm just disgusted with everything lately.

Actually I was just making an assumption. I could be wrong but I'm probably not!

 

[StageLeft]

Originally posted by: Modeps

Originally posted by: Skoorb
The media gives people what they want. That is all the media cares about.

Perhaps my reading comprehension is low but it seems that you're on the one hand thoroughly disgusted at how that man was beheaded and on the other hand turning a blind eye to prisoner abuse/torture.

Perhaps I didnt make my point well enough. I feel more or less a cause and effect situation. Now that they know what we're doing to their men, they can justify killing their prisoners. The photos bothered me too, I'm not saying they didnt... It's not really that I'm turning a blind eye. I dont like torture, but it happens and there's really nothing that can be done.

Originally posted by: Red Dawn
Even if the American and Western Media didn't show those pictures of the Iraqi detainese being abused you can bet your Bottom Dollars the Middle Eastern Media would have.

How would they have posted them? Perhaps I missed something in the articles I've read, but who specifically let these photos come out? The soldiers or someone else? These pictures should not have gotten out ANYWHERE. Hell, they shouldnt have even been taken.

Perhaps I'm just disgusted with everything lately.

So basically you're saying that the media should have censored an embarassment for the US military, so that the embarassment wouldn't fan the flames of anti-american hostility?

The US public has a right to know what their tax dollars are doing, even if those dollars are being spent ramming broomsticks up prisoners'.

Perhaps the media should also stop reporting on the number of americans killed there because, you know, it really pisses off a lot of people.

 

[Modeps]

Originally posted by: Skoorb

Originally posted by: Modeps

Originally posted by: Skoorb
The media gives people what they want. That is all the media cares about.

Perhaps my reading comprehension is low but it seems that you're on the one hand thoroughly disgusted at how that man was beheaded and on the other hand turning a blind eye to prisoner abuse/torture.

Perhaps I didnt make my point well enough. I feel more or less a cause and effect situation. Now that they know what we're doing to their men, they can justify killing their prisoners. The photos bothered me too, I'm not saying they didnt... It's not really that I'm turning a blind eye. I dont like torture, but it happens and there's really nothing that can be done.

Originally posted by: Red Dawn
Even if the American and Western Media didn't show those pictures of the Iraqi detainese being abused you can bet your Bottom Dollars the Middle Eastern Media would have.

How would they have posted them? Perhaps I missed something in the articles I've read, but who specifically let these photos come out? The soldiers or someone else? These pictures should not have gotten out ANYWHERE. Hell, they shouldnt have even been taken.

Perhaps I'm just disgusted with everything lately.

So basically you're saying that the media should have censored an embarassment for the US military, so that the embarassment wouldn't fan the flames of anti-american hostility?

The US public has a right to know what their tax dollars are doing, even if those dollars are being spent ramming broomsticks up prisoners'.

Perhaps the media should also stop reporting on the number of americans killed there because, you know, it really pisses off a lot of people.

I see your point.

 

[Jzero]

The problem isn't the US media, it's the Middle Eastern media.
The US media shows a somewhat objective depiction of what's going on. The US people and government respond in kind by taking action to stop what's happening.

The Mid East media rebroadcasts the images they stole from the US media and just says "Look what these evil infidels are doing to our innocent holy warriors!" They convenient leave out the footnote that people are being court martialled and will go to prison for this.
And the people respond in kind by taking acts of revenge.

 

[Modeps]

Originally posted by: Red Dawn

Originally posted by: Modeps
[

Originally posted by: Red Dawn
Even if the American and Western Media didn't show those pictures of the Iraqi detainese being abused you can bet your Bottom Dollars the Middle Eastern Media would have.

How would they have posted them? Perhaps I missed something in the articles I've read, but who specifically let these photos come out? The soldiers or someone else? These pictures should not have gotten out ANYWHERE. Hell, they shouldnt have even been taken.

Perhaps I'm just disgusted with everything lately.

Actually I was just making an assumption. I could be wrong but I'm probably not!

I wasnt attacking you RD I was really curious how these things got out in the first place

 

[Jzero]

Originally posted by: Modeps
I was really curious how these things got out in the first place

Someone blew the whistle on the abuses. The pictures were let out by someone who felt that the abuse should stop.

 

[fredtam]

Since I have already been called a Nazi today I will refrain form posting anything other than the fact that I agree with you.

 

[BullsOnParade]

The US media does its own spin doctoring. I wouldn't hold it as a paragon of
excellence over the Middle East news sources. Also what are you comparing,
the Middle Eastern equivalent of the Star or Inquirer to our Washington Post and
NYTimes. In short your generalizations about Middle Eastern news outlets don't
mean very much. If you want to make accusations of their spreading misinformation
cite the news sources and their relative reputation in the Middle East.

 

[Fingolfin269]

My problem with our media is that they would rather focus completely on negatives. Apparently none of us want to hear about a soldier who saves an entire company due to some great deed. We would rather hear about a few idiots out of thousands of troops.

Oh, and as for the video. I watched that thing (I wish I hadn't...) and I really don't think he knew he was going to die. I have a feeling he had already done several of those videos and this just happened to be the last one.

 

[Modeps]

Originally posted by: fredtam
Since I have already been called a Nazi today I will refrain form posting anything other than the fact that I agree with you.

Shaddup Na... hehe nevermind thanks!