Not Without Guilt (A Working Title)

I present below, what might be considered the beginning of an essay -- or, perhaps it is the entirety of the essay in the event that I decide not to continue. Whatever it is, it is only a small piece of the puzzle that must be solved if the nation that we call the UNITED States of America is to truly be re-UNITED into a single nation. Today, we are not UNITED. Anyway, here are some thoughts....

Today as I ate my pizza from the buffet line at Gatti’s in Bowling Green, Kentucky, I watched CNN Headline News on the big-screen television hanging on the wall. Please realize that I don’t normally watch CNN, just as I don’t watch MSNBC or NBC or CBS or ABC news as a general rule. I find that their biases often get in the way of their reporting. However, when the proprietor has the television set to a particular channel, that’s usually what you are stuck with – just like in the breakfast area of whatever motel chain I happen to be using as my current home-away-from-home.

Anyway, the talking heads seemed incredulous that the repossessed homes in the particular Chicago area neighborhood where they had chosen to base their “news” story were in terrible shape. Commodes were ripped from the floor, there were holes in the walls, doors were off their hinges, trash was piled everywhere and the general shape of the property was worse than pitiful. The reporters seemed shocked that the homes were in such condition and felt certain that it could only be because of the ill treatment of the previous “owners” by whatever lender that had so viciously evicted them.

Is it a symptom, or is it the disease? I’m of course referring to the reaction of the newscasters, not the behavior of the previous occupants of the repossessed houses – but, then again, the same question could be asked about those former occupants. Was their behavior a symptom, or was it the disease? However, upon further reflection, perhaps we should define “what” behavior is the object of our question. Are we observing a behavior of protest at poor treatment, or are we observing a general attitude about life and a lack of caring for property? Is it an issue of education? Is it an issue of an oppressed group of citizens? Is it the result of drug abuse? Is it something else altogether?

There are no easy answers, just as there are no easy questions – at least no easy questions that have been properly framed with clearly definable intent. I believe the frame of reference from which the “talking heads” were seeking to deliver a “newsworthy” story was so totally foreign to the actual events about which they were reporting that they had no idea of how to pose proper questions or in any way to relate to the events. They fell back instead on the dogma of their beliefs – namely, that it was an issue of victims and bad guys – of course, the actor of bad behavior is never the bad guy, it is always the one who suffered at their hands that was being punished for bad behavior – i.e. the bank, or landlord, or the builder, or whoever.

The age-old dilemma of communication between men and women is a piece-of-cake compared to the ability of the liberal media to communicate with the average human being in the United States – or the other way around. (I considered including all people but really have no good concept of the ability of media in other countries to connect with their people – although I suspect the issue is universal.) Why is it that way? Is it due to cultural biases? Is it a result of education? Is it a function of personality types that seek media careers as opposed to those who don’t? What exactly makes it so difficult for media figures to connect with the average person? Is it an elitism springing from a career-based attitude that inculcates the “successful” media personalities? Whatever the source, there is clearly a disconnection between the reporters and their subjects – unless they are talking of other media types – which would include television, movie and many music personalities.

So, where am I going with this? I guess I am seeking to reason through what is happening in our country. The example of the CNN Headline News reporters is a symptom of many things. It is a manifestation of deep moral and cultural issues that are on the verge of tearing apart the basis for our nation – that is, the ability to present reasoned arguments and through the art of seeking accommodation through shared values and balanced compromise to arrive at solutions to issues of the day by seeking the common good. There is no commonality. There is instead a deep divide that is growing wider by the day. If it is not addressed, it will bring about the end of the United States of America – not just as we know it – but as a nation.