Why the tears
Something strange just happened.. While I was having dinner and watching Future Channel on the TV with my sister. I saw her staring at the TV, with tears in her eyes. That was during some flashbacks, and the clips Future had been showing for the past days for the late Rafiq Al-Hariri. I was surprised, why would she cry ! I know that she is a girl, and is allowed to cry on anything (including movies and so) but it had already been a week for the tragic event, and my sister never cared about politics and people of politics. Why would a 17 years old (what !! she is 17 already !!! ) girl cry about it ! There are 10s of bombings in Iraq everyday, and 100s are killed every month, no one cares.. Is it because of Rafiq Al-Hariri ? No one can deny that he was a great person, but probably if we follow the story of each killed number or figure in Iraq or Palestine we would find a great person on his/her level that was lost in a tragic event.. What is it ?
I can play dull all day, but it is the power of media and TV. The great coverage and clips and flashbacks that Future TV is doing is helping in massively increasing the sympathy and polishing the image. This brought to my memory a recent piece of news I read about a Swedish Ad that enraged Italians.
This doesn’t mean that I don’t think that what happened to Rafiq Al-Hariri was ugly and a great loss, and that he is indeed a great person.. but I am not sure that this is the reason my sister cried.
Explore posts in the same categories:
February 20th, 2005 at 3:31 am
Isam,
This is a very interesting post, because you pointed out that your sister never really cared about politics. This is the power of the media and what they do on a daily basis. MOre importantly though, this is the power of rhetoric.
YOur post reminds me of a seminar I am taking in Grad scholl, called the rhetoric of peace and conflict. I have been following the way western media are covering al Hariri’s death. They are focusing on the fact that there is a devide among the people of Lebanon since this event. Interesting enough, the devide is somewhat highlighted on a religious one. But while reading Arabic news, the divide is focused on a more political one. I know it is too soon to make an educated analysis on this issue, but it is going to be interesting to see how media, on both sides, are going to cover this issue and how politicians are going to play it out.
Hopefully as time passes by we can discuss this issue some more.
February 20th, 2005 at 5:22 pm
HEEEY!! don’t make a big deal out of this!!
you know i always get emotional and cry on “almost” everything! i even cried on “lady lady” cartoons once :P so why is it a “strange thing” that i cried on this tragic event??!!
i know there are 10’s of bombs that kill innocent people every week.. that’s why i don’t watch the news!
like Linda said this is the power of rhetoric -the word i’ve just found n the dictionary a5det 3a lsani already- maybe if i watched the news on another channel yesterday.. i wouldn’t have cried…
but i really don’t know why did i cry yesterday :)
February 21st, 2005 at 1:31 am
we are used to see a daily bombs and dead people, thats why we do not cry on such a daily repeated event, one of the funniest way to control our feelings by media, and to control our reaction is to give us the news bit by bit slowly, so when you wake up, and get the lastest news, you will not be affected, because they already made you ready for such bad news.
and this didn’t applie to al-hariri assasination, maybe thats why she or anyone cries.
March 22nd, 2005 at 9:05 pm
I cry about things that happend long long ago.
March 24th, 2005 at 2:06 pm
I believe it’s not so much the media, however its got more to do with the fact that we knew the person who was killed, see if you heard about one of your colleagues father has died you may be sad or sympathetic, but if you hear “god forbid” about one of your near relative has died you will most likely cry, and since we have known about Al Hariri and all the good things he did for his country and all the effort he put into making his country it seemed horrible to see him die in such way.