Give the sniper what he wants! He wants media attention, and the media
is only too happy to comply, giving every word of this deranged
publicity hound more attention than was ever devoted to the world's
greatest minds. Over 1,000 federal agents are on the case and, it
seems, even more reporters. He's the star of every news program.
We live in the Washington area, but are we worried about the sniper?
Hell no! We're worried about being killed by a careless or drunk driver:
Total number of people killed by the sniper thus far: 10, about one
every 2-3 days in October.
Amount of news coverage: Infinite
Total number of projected traffic fatalities this year: About 42,000, or
115 per DAY!
Recent stories detailing the dangers of driving: None
(Actual deaths in 2001 were 41,730, and in 2000, 41,821. About half of
the driving deaths each year are related to alcohol abuse.)
The media attention has little to do with rational safety concerns, and
everything to do with entertainment - it's virtually impossible to turn
on the TV without hearing about the newest TV reality show, THE SNIPER;
in this episode the police give a coded message to the sniper. And
you'll never miss an episode, because THE SNIPER is carried by all the
news channels, 24 hours a day. But hey, if you really find death and
destruction titillating, maybe you should check out this picture of a
young woman, horribly disfigured after she was hit by a drunk driver:
http://www.npr.org/programs/atc/
features/2002/oct/texas_dwi/index.html
Meanwhile, the media is focusing so much attention on the headline act,
that it can't even get the other bloody news right. Terrorists have
struck in Moscow, taking over a theater, and everyone inside it. But how
many people are inside? BBC says "over 100". NBC says 700-1,000. But
who cares, the next press conference about the sniper is in five
minutes!
Get a clue America! If you pay attention to good people, maybe you'll
have more of them. And we can absolutely guarantee you that if you pay
endless amounts of attention to the actions of very evil people, you'll
have more senseless violence.
Want to change things? Turn off the TV and visit our flagship web site,
Positive Press (http://positivepress.com), and start paying more
attention to the people who create value.
READ ALL ABOUT IT!
No, don't. Visit Positive Press instead:
(http://positivepress.com)
