EXCESS
People of other nations, so often, seem to see Americans as being a people of excess in almost everything we undertake.
We do a TV special which wraps up a major story in a “complete, finished for all time package”. We tell everything we know about a subject, a scandal, a battle, or a display of pomp and pretense by someone in the public eye. A recent attempt brought the Princess Diane story to the forefront after it had been covered more than adequately not too long ago. Gossipy tid-bits of information surfaced from some crevice which had been missed before – or considered to be reliable or even untrue.
I saw promotional spots about the program but didn’t actually get to see it. I had no desire to do so, to tell the truth, because I felt the story about the Princess and her unfortunate experiences had been given more than full treatment not too long ago. We, as we so often seem to do, went completely overboard with details about the princess and her friends and associates, to put any genuine credence in materials dealing with an alleged indiscretions during her later days. I suddenly realized this morning that I have not heard from a single soul who actually saw “the startling, new revelations.
We are mis-using war stories from Iraq and Afghanistan by repeating them for so many days and nights. This lapse of creativity by TV personnel does the nation a disservice by repeated such stories some the men and women who are on the sites on our behalf. You have no doubt that is is good advice that we refrain from showing our small children the pictures of the Trade Towers being destroyed. Children seeing those photograph and think it is all happening again! They do not see it as something that took place a year at one time – but as another such incident happening at that moment before them! They wonder why we can't stop the enemy form burning out tall building! You have to be automotive expert to be able to identify the vehicle you see burning on the roadside in Iraq. Often it is the same one you saw burning yesterday and the day before. The audio portion of the item doesn't tell you that is the same one you have seen burst into flame dozen times or more! Most adults who see it opt in favor of a new vehicle. “Why can't the marines stop those roadside bombings on that mile-and- a half of highway!” You too may have heard those very words spoken on TV as I have when such a shot was repeated.
Recently deceased Yasher Arafat was an expert at use excess to advantage. I knew two American tourists who were in Arafat-land year ago,who were pleased with his actions. Their tour groups were each was treated to a special, “secret” audience with Arafat. Their travel groups were taken by car through the streets to the leader's “secret hiding place”. He moved freely among them and my two friends were very much impressed with his views and friendly attitude. They were in his presence over one year apart but he presented each with slides of a Palestinian widow picking though stones of her blasted home; two children sobbing at her side. The tourists each told me the pictures had been taken “that very morning” - of the same woman children a full year apart.
Go to excess in the celebration of Christmas, if you must – but let's try to to keep our misery within sensible bounds. Listen carefully to that which you hear; look carefully at that which you see.
A.L.M. December 6, 2004 [c624wds]
