Shame, shame ...

The Japanese are suffering a triple disaster: earthquake, tsunami and nuclear. It is not a war like in Libya; it is not due to the insanity and wrath of humans. It is the earth shifting, it is the universe changing on its own, the wrath and consequences of a natural disaster.

I admire the Japanese strength of character; their reaction faced to this disaster is just as breathtaking as the desolation, ruins and nuclear fear which surround them. To think that one minute your life is happy, organized and full of dreams yet to be reached. The next second you are homeless, jobless, immersed in loss, grief and chaos and shattered dreams; survival being your new and only priority. Just thinking about it I feel tightness in my chest!

It sorts of make us humble, make us realize how vulnerable we are, that life and happiness only hangs by a thread for anyone of us.

SO, why is the Press on a witch hunt, having such a field day with this disaster!!! My husband being a News buff, we watch the news from France, Switzerland, Belgium, Québec, Ontario, and B.C. I can therefore say that I am not making my statements without a pretty good viewing base. They’re all the same, some worse than others!

 The anchorpersons of every television channel are complaining about the lack of information, the mixed information, and the false information. And while that may be true since the Japanese are right in the middle of this triple whammy disaster; maybe not necessarily getting all the information, being invaded by true, untrue, emotional and biased information themselves; having to weigh, analyze and contemplate action for every single information they get from the diverse sources, while themselves have to deal emotionally with the event, the fears, the losses, the uncertainties and probable consequences. Let's not lose sight of the micro, personal, immediate reaction within the disastrous macro, Japanese and worldwide consequences of every decision made in this horrendous climate of urgency.

 I find it most unprofessional and unethical for broacasters to critique. Have they ever been in a situation where they were the decision makers for millions of people facing a disaster of that amplitude, or even smaller amplitude; I doubt it sincerely? “La critique est aisée mais l’art est difficile” as they say in French.

For some of those Anchorpersons, sitting in their cushy seat with a roof over their heads,  you can actually see glee in their eyes as they twist their questions and wring their witnesses dry, trying to have them say things they haven’t seen, they haven’t heard; as they go into the core of their wrenching emotions and break their spirits. They will spend 5 minutes on one term, stretching it, bending it and twisting it around, until the witness breaks and says “the word” the press wanted so much to hear out of their mouth to be able to cast fear, doubt or plain accusations. Shame to some of those anchorpersons! Even their reporters in Tokyo sometimes have a hard time to place a word of hope, a word of admiration for the victims, something positive to hang on to amidst this apocalypse they are facing. Should they dare to say something positive, they are quickly “but…’ed” out of their comment if not cut right off with a “thank you” before the end of the sentence. Shame, shame, shame… and to think that you do all that for ratings and money! Where is your integrity?

Isn’t it enough that these people’s lives have been shattered in one second? Isn’t it enough that they have lost children, parents, friends, homes, jobs, security? Isn’t it enough that they have little fuel, little electricity, a nuclear cloud over their head contaminating their food supply? Isn’t it enough that you also have to take away their dignity and pride trying to find blame, trying to find flaws, trying to instil doubts, fear, despair, let’s even push it a little farther and bring panic if you can with unfounded prognosis and insinuations!

Get off your superiority complex! Stop thinking your country wouldn’t let it happen; would not react like that, would be prepared for the worst; that your experts and politicians are more intelligent, more honest, more transparent, and are just plain superior! Just take a good look at yourselves: it is much easier to see the straw in your neighbour’s eye, than to see the beam in yours!”  

Shame, shame

Mama not so Cool