Bowling for Columbine
I finally got round to watching the Oscar winning documentary "Bowling for Columbine". Really good film, and I think it highlights some very key issues.
Fear. Why do you keep to lit streets, why do you lock your doors, why do women wear handbags cross their sholder in certain areas? Because of fear, society is scared of being robbed, attacked or so on.
Why are we scared? I've never been robbed, I've never been chased. I've had a run in with some youths in the shop I used to work in, but nothing much. Yet, I still lock my doors, secure my PC, keep my phone and wallet where I can see it. I've got no reason to do this.
I am conditioned to do this by the media. I turn on the news, and what do I see? The local news should provide me with current affairs and things of interest in the community. Such as events and things worth noting that happened. National news should tell me what is happening to our nation at the top level. What's being done with our budgets, and so on.
What do I see? I see a women attacked down an alley-way in the next town. I see how my local hospital will kill me because of their low stats. I see how our country has rising crime rates, and how I should hide in my room with more locks than fort-knox.
I would say there is only one real way to attack this mass problem, and that is to sort out TV. It has been a long gripe of mine that TV now is truly appalling. We need to replace the head of content (or whoever is in charge of such things) at the BBC and replace it with somebody who is out for entertainment and education for the good of society, not just drumming mindless junk into people's minds because it's good for ratings.
The media, especially the BBC have a duty and responsibility to help educate and improve society as a whole. Reality TV, Cops, Excessive news on how a kid has been murdered... these things do not do that.