TipPinG sCAleS

I don't know if this even moves the needle for you. You got a busy life and you got kids and the news is just a small appendage to the hectic lifestyle you lead. Occasionally you might hear about an event that tickles your fancy or you may hear about a tragedy that hits home for you. Maybe it makes you so uncomfortable that you change the channel to something funny or benign instead. You had a hard day at work. Who needs all that messy reality stuff, right? You might prefer the "other" reality TV instead. Oh by the way, did you hear that Becca is getting married again? Um hmm.

For the few of you that have a heart for community and humanity and fully recognize that any time and in any space in time, our lives could be irrevocably changed by a bullet fired on all grounds, a speeding car driven by a distracted teen, or turning on the kitchen faucet and seeing brown water, this might be just for you.

This isn't a discussion about whether there is equality in our world or not. That's a pointless argument. All you have to do is look around to get insights. All you have to do is converse with some of your city's citizens and actually listen to what they have to say to gain wisdom. 

There's no real surprises here except that so many just refuse to acknowledge what is clear, evident, and present in the every day. Some of us are privileged to get a free refill of coffee in places that's not normally allowed. Some are allowed to circumvent policies where others would be harshly rebuked, fined, or sanctioned. 

People have been fighting for equal rights since time began. Our history books are way late to the party. I can't even tell you that life is fair and in a level playing field, we'd all make the same decisions and ensure the same results or outcomes. I don't know. 

What I do know is that there is an elephant in the room and he stinks and he's messy. Ignoring the damage caused is a willful act. It's not neglect and it's not a case of being too busy. It's just two eyes that are uncomfortable with what they see and seeing means inherent responsibility and a simple human response to change that must be met. Most people just don't like accountability. If it can be free and easy without consequence, then it's much more desirable. 

You have more rights now than we've ever had in history. You have the right to pick up your remote control and turn the channel but incase you choose to keep it where it is, you might see what I saw on two local news broadcast in the city of Charleston, SC. 

Two children missing for a week with amber alerts. Only one has five minutes of coverage, and impassioned pleas of how much the parents love their children. 

Two families grieve the loss of family members gunned down in acts of random violence. Only one has eight minutes of coverage with eulogies, stories about how much the deceased means to the community from friends and family, testimonies from co-workers, politicians, and others, along with rewards and Go Fund Me accounts. 

Although this is about the news, it's not news. This is fairly standard operating procedure on many news broadcasts....in certain areas of the country. 

Is this a media issue, a financial issue, or something else altogether? What are you seeing in your city and the media's coverage of it? 

It's really beginning to appear that hearts of men and women are growing colder by the day. Close your eyes. Turn the channel. Look away. It's getting easier to insulate ourselves from truth. 

This isn't a rallying cry. I'm just asking some questions that I hope promote some dialogue and perhaps help us to understand and listen to one another. It doesn't affect you and maybe it never will but do we really want to wait until that impossibility becomes possible?  In the event I'm unclear, I'm saying there's a chance. Please share your thoughts, answers, and comments. Maybe we'll take a step up instead of a step back. 

"There are none so blind as those who will not see. The most deluded people are those who choose to ignore what they already know." ~ John Heywood