The tragedy on 9/11 didn’t just kill two thousand nine hundred seventy-seven people. It didn’t just destroy two buildings. President Bush emphasized that America was waging a war against global terrorism and not against Islam. However, the continued acts of terrorism committed by a minority along with critiques by show hosts and political commentators have buried our understanding of the Muslim majority. In addition, the “war on terror” that President Bush declared led to the killing of millions of innocent people in Afghanistan and Iraq. The media has played a major role during these times in obscuring the view of those who experience calamity. What we don’t see are the images of starving children, bombed villages and mass graves hidden …show more content…
Since 2011, Syrians have been escaping to neighboring countries in search of safety from a horrific conflict, leaving behind loved ones, jobs, and property. Many are unable to flee to sanctuary. Living in a country that is unaffected by such horrific conditions, the only thing that comes to mind when mentioning this issue is the various pictures that are being shared through social media sites. The people in US are aware of the issue although our only perspective comes by way of the media. Looking at the title of major newscasts would show that the media is constantly addressing these issues without mentioning the personal accounts of those who are afflicted. Many commentators are even criticizing President Obama’s to take in refugees. We fail to realize that this isn’t just “another” country’s turmoil but a humanitarian crisis. But can our reaction to the events be justified because we lack direct experience of such calamities and depend on the media’s biased …show more content…
What is our connection to the events that occur outside of our realm? In “The View from Mrs. Thompson’s,” David Foster Wallace describes the headline of a newspaper on 9/11. He compares the Bloomington’s newspaper to a “well-funded college newspaper co-edited by Bill O’ Rielly and Martha Stewarts” (132). Ironically, both public figures are completely different from one another. Bill O’Rielly is a commentator for a newscast while Martha Stewart is a show host. This shows that the media in Bloomington puts the politics into an “entertainment” setting which draws the people away from a realistic view. This is why the events of 9/11 seemed like an “R-rated movie out of Hollywood” (132). The only connection they had to the event is through the television which is their window to reality and a “sense of a larger world” (134). Even though the larger world is “televisual”, the people of Bloomington consider their own town as stable, peaceful and harmonious using descriptions like “explosive gardens,” “weedless fertilized lawns,” and “manicured parks” (133). It seems as the place is almost perfection until Wallace’s “camera” zooms in to the “ground views” to finally capture the people in an open-mouthed gaze. Wallace recalls that when he entered Mrs. Thompson’s house, he saw that everyone was “transfixed at one of the very few pieces of video CBS never reran” (136). These clips