Browsing New York Times online, I came across a story about elevated numbers of suicides occurring at Fort Hood in Texas, the site where Nidal Hasan killed 13 people last year. While this story was huge news last November, it's pretty troubling to me that according to NYTimes, 14 people have committed suicide at Ford Hood alone and I haven't heard a peep until now.
The story of the original Ft. Hood shooting was told with detail and emotion, painting a picture of a horrific crime committed against some lurking foreign enemy living as an abomination in our nearly perfect country. Last November, the media seemed all too willing to pounce on the opportunity to perpetuate Americans' socially constructed myth of good guys vs. bad guys, of evil threatening good but never being able to prevail.
As a parade of ambulances wailed to the scene of the shootings, officials said the extent of injuries to the wounded varied significantly, with some in critical condition and others lightly wounded. General Cone praised the first-responders and the medics who acted quickly to administer first aid at the scene.
A story. We're given details, meant to evoke emotion to paint a picture of the tragic day. We're given information on the culprit, details of the United States' immediate action, and perspective from a family member of a victim.
And when, over the course of 9 months, 14 American soldiers take their own lives? We get a brief. No story, just facts, and a couple quotes that just barely begin to tug at the heartstrings.
Yes, 14 people from one army base have killed themselves this year, but "hush, hush!" Because we can't have any cracks in the perfect facade of our fearless American army, fighting the "bad guys" overseas, the "bad guys" who want to fly our planes into buildings, the "bad guys" who open fire at Ft. Hood. Yes, our soldiers may be fighting huge battles of their own as they train to fight the bad guys, but they can figure it out for themselves. They'll get better, and there are still lots of other soldiers who aren't depressed and crazy.
Right?
No, I think Americans deserve to know about the sufferings of their compatriots, to hear their stories and the stories of their families, so they can-- we can-- help. The media just doesn't have the right to hide information from us, to tell us one tragic story in great detail but keep another, equally as tragic one hidden.
An interesting thought that popped in to my head while reading this, was whether it was that the media was hiding this from us, or whether the media chose to not focus on it simply because it wouldn't improve the ratings, or garner page views, or whatever. If that's the case, than whose fault is it really, the media's, or the general publics? Just something to think about I guess.
ReplyDeleteAlso: I love your writing style in this post! Your voice is very "you", and it's very informative without being dry at all!
An interesting thought, indeed! Thanks for reading, Kyle. I feel, though, like people are always drawn toward stories of tragedy, and that if a bigger deal were made out of these soldiers' deaths, people would certainly pay attention. I see your point for sure, though, and it could very well be true! Thanks for your comment :]
ReplyDeleteMargot - excellent points - -there is an old adage about the news: "if it bleeds, it leads" - referring to the media's typical approach of favoring ratings over content. I think the reason we don't hear about the 14 suicides is that it is judged to not be 'exciting' enough for the public.
ReplyDeleteIn addition to not being sensational, suicide and mental illness are complex issues that require some time and thought to write and read about. To Kyle's point, journalism has lost a lot of the public to those who've been snacking on soundbites for too long.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing this point of view. Coming from the military that espouses "don't ask don't tell", it isn't surprising that the Army is reluctant to withhold news or information that is deemed troubling, humbling or controversial.
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