In the above video, Jennifer Hill share three encounters with “gun violence” with WTNH. Her advice to other victims in the Live Free or Die state? Don’t be a victim! Carry a gun to defend yourself! JK. It’s actually “Don’t hide. You gotta live your life.” What was the real point of Gun violence hits terrifying notes in life of performer? Gun violence sucks! There’s lots of it! And here’s a human interest story to prove it!
More accurately, here’s some sensationalism to suck on. Suckle? This kind of “report” is infantile, appealing to the simple-minded part of the viewer’s brain, famously and accurately summed-up by Homer Simpson’s internal dialogue “Mmmmm…donuts.” Or, if you prefer a more active description, squirrel!
Sensation — as opposed to intellectual argument — sells. And I’m OK with that. It is what it is. Free market and all that.
All I ask is that the mainstream media devote equal time to the “sensation” of defensive gun uses (DGUs). As the lowest estimate of annual incidence pegs DGUs at 55k, it shouldn’t be too hard to find and report on law-abiding armed citizens who faced down, countered, or eliminated bad guys posing a threat of death or grievous bodily harm .
To be fair, the number and frequency of mainstream media DGU reports has increased dramatically, as more and more states have liberalized their concealed and open carry laws. But there’s another byproduct of all this this post-Orlando bloody shirt waving: the glorification of victimization.
What did the musically talented Ms. Hill do that warranted a camera crew and air time, aside from surviving three attacks? Nothing, really.
While I respect Ms. Hill’s strength of character, again, what of the strength of those who actively defeated attackers? Don’t they deserve at least equal exposure? Who’s the better role model? And what’s the effect of celebrating enduring passivity over victorious aggression on our national character?
After the Orlando attack, the mainstream media focused on the killer. Again, I’ve got no problem with that. We need to see the face of evil to recognize and counter it. But I would have liked to have seen at least one report celebrating the American soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines on the front lines, actively working right now to eliminate the threat to our lives and liberty.
Truth be told, survival requires aggression. For the future of our country and our children, that’s a fact our mainstream media should celebrate. The fact that it doesn’t is deeply worrying.