By Mark W. Danielson
Last Sunday, the earth shook LA with a 4.7 quake. I was lying on my hotel bed near the epicenter when it happened. For about fifteen seconds, the walls and furniture shook. Even the television rocked a little, but no power was ever lost. And then it was over. Well, sort of. You see, the media can't seem to let it go.
I’ve ridden out many earthquakes. The house I grew up in was built directly atop the Hayward Fault near San Francisco Bay. When I lived in San Diego, I frequently awoke to small quakes. Once I was even tossed from bed while sleeping in the Philippines, and although that one got my attention, earthquakes don’t scare me much. Apparently, I’m the exception.
Judging from the news clips, one might think that this quake decimated LA. Images of broken glass and groceries lying on market floors repeat themselves during reporter voice-overs. Within minutes after the 4.7 quake, local news stations began taking calls from Nervous Nellie’s; one of whom said the shaking lasted twenty to thirty minutes. Really! Buildings would have crumbled had the tremor lasted that long. But then, we’ve come to expect this from the media. In fact, we even thrive on it. Why else would we have 24/7 news stations?
News moguls figured out a long time ago that sensationalizing stories is big business. Perhaps this explains the extensive coverage of the swine flu. And while I feel sorry for the families of the six people in the United States who have died from this virus, the flu annually claims thirty six thousand US residents without any mention of a pandemic. By comparison, this latest flu scare seems rather out of proportion. Of course, like this LA quake, the swine flu has our attention, thus we stay glued to the TV for the latest coverage . . .
So what’s really going on here? One word explains it: fear. A few years ago, “Fear This” was the anthem for bad-ass kids because of its endless connotations. Of course, nowadays, kids’ put grenade decals on their cars. Regardless, fear pumps adrenaline for fight or flight, and we love this rush so much that we can't get enough of it. If that wasn’t the case, we wouldn’t see endless news broadcasts about minor earthquakes. We would also be without horror movies, and no one would be writing suspense. So enjoy the fear, for it is an essential emotion. Just balance the media's attention with reality, for not everything you see on TV is real.
Last Sunday, the earth shook LA with a 4.7 quake. I was lying on my hotel bed near the epicenter when it happened. For about fifteen seconds, the walls and furniture shook. Even the television rocked a little, but no power was ever lost. And then it was over. Well, sort of. You see, the media can't seem to let it go.
I’ve ridden out many earthquakes. The house I grew up in was built directly atop the Hayward Fault near San Francisco Bay. When I lived in San Diego, I frequently awoke to small quakes. Once I was even tossed from bed while sleeping in the Philippines, and although that one got my attention, earthquakes don’t scare me much. Apparently, I’m the exception.
Judging from the news clips, one might think that this quake decimated LA. Images of broken glass and groceries lying on market floors repeat themselves during reporter voice-overs. Within minutes after the 4.7 quake, local news stations began taking calls from Nervous Nellie’s; one of whom said the shaking lasted twenty to thirty minutes. Really! Buildings would have crumbled had the tremor lasted that long. But then, we’ve come to expect this from the media. In fact, we even thrive on it. Why else would we have 24/7 news stations?
News moguls figured out a long time ago that sensationalizing stories is big business. Perhaps this explains the extensive coverage of the swine flu. And while I feel sorry for the families of the six people in the United States who have died from this virus, the flu annually claims thirty six thousand US residents without any mention of a pandemic. By comparison, this latest flu scare seems rather out of proportion. Of course, like this LA quake, the swine flu has our attention, thus we stay glued to the TV for the latest coverage . . .
So what’s really going on here? One word explains it: fear. A few years ago, “Fear This” was the anthem for bad-ass kids because of its endless connotations. Of course, nowadays, kids’ put grenade decals on their cars. Regardless, fear pumps adrenaline for fight or flight, and we love this rush so much that we can't get enough of it. If that wasn’t the case, we wouldn’t see endless news broadcasts about minor earthquakes. We would also be without horror movies, and no one would be writing suspense. So enjoy the fear, for it is an essential emotion. Just balance the media's attention with reality, for not everything you see on TV is real.
