Friday the 13th was worse than anyone could have imagined. Terror struck in Paris leaving at least 129 people dead, 350 plus wounded, and the rest of the population in fear. Bombings occurred in Beirut (Ed. note: On Thursday) killing at least 43 people and yet another attack occurred in Israel. Additionally, earthquakes shook the ground in Japan and Mexico.
So, why are we still talking about Starbucks’ red cups or glorifying Charlie Sheen’s battle with HIV?
It is about time that America takes a step back and really looks at what is in our media these days. A large portion of the media includes movies, social media, TV, magazines, YouTube videos, newspapers, etc. People spend most of their days locked into their phones or computer screens; consumed by this so called “entertainment.”
Sure, these topics are entertaining. One could even call the “red cups” this month’s “black and blue” or “white and gold” dress, but does it really even matter? If it was a slow time for news, maybe it would be acceptable to start these debates to capture some attention. In this time of terror and tragedy in the world, however, America needs to stop focusing on these worthless topics.
Ignorance is not going to solve the world’s problems. People say history repeats itself, which is why the education system puts emphasis on teaching history. So, let us educate America about what is happening in the world and what we can do to keep history from repeating through the media.
Whether we want to or not, sometimes we need to be reminded that the biggest problems in the world are not about celebrities wearing the same outfit at an award show or a food chain changing the packaging of their products.
This is not an attack on entertainment, for I am just as guilty as the next person for keeping up with lighthearted topics such as celebrity gossip, but rather a request for the media to make a better effort to put topics that are truly important on the front page of the paper or as a trending topic on Twitter. Even more so, this is a plea for Americans to take five minutes to read an article about hard-hitting topics or turn on the news at five instead of re-runs of an old TV show.
Molly Brown, junior in public relations
