Media Effects....

As most people in this great country, I watch the news.... primarily for the weather because everything else that is reported usually is depressing bad news and is prolonged over the course of a week or two. The media has recently (over the last few months) has blown up and then deflated the housing market so much and everyone is scared to buy, scared to travel, almost even scared to leave the house. At my office we are still listing and selling our inventory regularly, not as fast as we would like of course but for the most part with the number of real estate offices on and around the island, I would say we are holding our own.

My question is this – Why must the media make a mountain out of a mole hill? What gratification do they get for repeatedly reporting negative and depressing news? Ratings???? Why is it that when the slightest tropical wave comes remotely toward the coast of NC – The weather channel crew is making a b-line to North Topsail Beach – It’s no secret that the North End is suffering erosion and yes there are some houses there that are condemned and in the ocean literally – This is not NEW news – the entire country and those that vacation here, have property here and live here know about the erosion. – I am sure that the homeowner’s especially those who rent the properties out for the summer don’t appreciate the foul taste that the media is putting in the mouths of future vacationers. As a former Property Manager I can assure you that Hurricane Season is what it is but more times than not, the weather media blows more hot air than the tropical storm / hurricane. But yet we let the media get away with it by tuning in every morning at 5:30am like clock work and every night at 6, 7, 10 and 11pm. When we go out to eat, there are even TV’s in the restaurants – we are constantly fed this crap and because we are told about it regularly and no one news station varies from the “story” they are telling - It must be true – right? We must be in really bad shape…. Unemployment is up by 2%, the guy down the street committed a crime, he goes to court, he gets a sentence of however long and he will never really serve the full sentence he was awarded from the jury because he will get out on good behavior. What does that say about our morals as a country when we can’t even stand behind our word? I don’t care if he was good as gold in jail – he did the crime – pay the time – as a child I didn’t get away with something I did bad and you can bet I didn’t get “ungrounded” early either.

It is harder than ever these days to be human – To error is human and everyone is entitled to their fair share of error – But why does everyone’s flaws, mishaps, wrong doings etc have to be broadcast over and over and over again? Report it for a day maybe two and be done with it. For example – NO ONE is immediately affected when Senator McCain had a spot removed from his face and it was sent off for biopsy except Senator McCain and his family or that Obama went to the doctor because he threw out his hip – Let these men have their privacy for crying out loud. Neither of these unfortunate things is relevant to who is better suited to run our country. – My interests are who in my neighborhood has recently been added to the sex offender list – By all means broadcast their name, picture and address over the TV – anyone that sick deserves to be humiliated. – That may sound like a contradiction but come on now, did you really care that Obama threw out his hip or do you care if your children are safe? My interests in the Presidental race is who is going to effectively work for the middle class, who is going to relieve the gas price gouging, who is going to do what they can with all their might to unscrew the screwed up portions of our country bringing us back to having faith in our leader(s) and who perhaps will re-visit putting God back in our schools. Don’t get me wrong I care if they are terminally ill but if one of them is in a wheel chair – that doesn’t change their morals and values.

Think about this the next time you watch the news – is it in your opinion as bad as the media makes it out to be? Are you healthy? Can you afford to put food on your table? Can you make it to and from work without suffering a deficit in your wallet? Sure you have become more aware of your spending habits, but what are you doing to survive as a result of the media deflating the economy – are you complaining that you don’t have anything, or you can’t get anything – or are you doing something about it and in turn living the life you want to?