Media Blackout

I turned on the radio this morning to listen to NPR during my 10 minute commute to work and I turned it off a minute later. I had forgotten that today was 9/11 and that the media would be filled with talk of the terrorist attacks five years ago. I can't bring myself to listen to the radio or watch t.v. on days like this. I know I risk sounding unsympathetic and unpatriotic and I am neither. The attacks on America were real tragedies and the events still weigh heavily on my heart and mind.

What bothers me about the media coverage of today is how insular we are in our grieving and remembering of such tragedies. Rather than listen to ordinary people talk about how 9/11 affected their lives or recall where they were when they heard the news, I'd rather talk about what we have learned from these horrific events and how we can focus our new knowledge to help other people in similarly horrible situations. Our grief is no greater than that of the Sudanese in Darfur who have also experienced unimaginable tragedies over the last few years and who are still at risk for even more genocide. Most Americans probably don't even know where Darfur is, let alone are they aware of the terrorism that people there are still experiencing.

As I was sitting in the doctor's office this morning, the office staff were commenting on today's date and a patient sitting next to me screeched, "Oooooh! I gotta play that number!" Now that's deep ...