Can you believe it?

“Sure I can! It’s on TV, isn’t it?”

People do tend to give a lot of importance to what is said on the tele, but is it really that trustworthy? I mean, let’s take a look at a news that’s been circling the Globe for years now: Elvis is alive! More “sensational” news? Coming right up! After these commercials: “facing a heavy hair loss? Not knowing what to do about those bald spots? Search no more! The hair-in-the-can formula is what you need!” Sure it is! Why? Cause it’s on TV!

I for one have been known to quote Discovery Channel or Animal Planet on more than one occasions, but at least I haven’t used them as bibliography for my thesis as many would do, even if they are a “bit” more reliable than…I don’t know…let’s say the 5 o’clock news. Yes, the notorious 5 o’clock news, the ones that both terrifies and arouses interest of the common man.

What very important message do these news have for us? “Say NO to violence”? “Drinking and driving don’t mix”? Or, maybe, “hey, I never thought one could do that! I guess I’ll have to try it and see for myself! I bet I can do it better!” Even if you may not think so, I believe that there are plenty individuals that subscribe to the latter.

I CAN believe that this type of news are presented for the sole purpose of good ratings and to cater for the basic need of the Neanderthal to see blood, but what should we make of the laws stating there should be no programs or shows containing explicit language, nudity or violence before a certain hour? What should we make of the people that actually believe that bread, fried potatoes and many other products are cancerous just because they said so at the 7 o’clock news? Should we stop eating? Well, the air, due to pollution, is also cancerous in some regions or circumstances, does that mean we shouldn’t breathe either?

Can you believe there are UFO’s? Sure I can! Last night’s show featured a picture of a satellite dish with a couple of Christmas lights on it, so it MUST be an UFO!

Gullible people is the last thing we need and feeding them these news will surely bring no good to anyone, but maybe, just maybe, one day these news will feature some of the “best” ideas some of our fellow humans had: like trying to weld down some oxygen tubes or trying to take down a very large tree by tying it with a rope and pulling it with your truck. And then, maybe those gullible people will be able to either make a difference between what they should believe and try and what is so stupid, it actually makes you laugh out loud.

Until then, I would prefer there were no 5 o’clock news, because nowadays, on way or another, those news catch up to you in every day life and you have no choice but to take part in them, or to be a spectator to some really shocking and not so funny events.

We all had an accident or saw one. We all lost a relative or a friend during some tragic events. Most of us were here during the “revolution”. But we didn’t have to put up with some journalist trying to find out how we feel after regaining from a 12 year coma only to find out that your whole family was wiped out by a hurricane and that you missed the last 3 presidents of the country. There’s a limit between journalism and intrusion, and in this country, that line has been crossed so many times that I do believe, that no media person really knows where it all began and where it all ends.

Can you believe this will go on for many years to come? I do, Steve! Because it’s on TV!