08-21-2014, 05:10 PM
(08-21-2014, 04:22 PM)Variable link Wrote: Most certainly yes, if it's going to save lives, than by all means, use it. Lives are more important than keeping people illusion of safety. There are already car accident awareness commercials that quite horrific but are highly effective.
I do not think it will change anything. People have their set mind. They put pictures of damaged organs on cirgarette packets here, and it hasn't done anything. What helps is raising awareness by educating people. I don't believe that you can shock anyone into knowledge.
Quote:Media policy should not be dictated by some douchebags.
Media policy is a weird thing. You would think that the job of the media is to inform, to enlighten, but that isn't their idea. Media is selling a product. The one that can package the product with the most colorful tassels usually wins.
IMO, news media has developed into a despicable business. There are a number of exceptions for sure, but by and large, the news media has devolved into the kind of machinery that has only two major agendas: Profit, and forming political opinion. I find it scary to think that a large part of media companies are owned by single individuals. People like Murdoch have a vast influence on public opinion. Berlusconi in Italy used his media empire effectively for his political goals.
In a lot of sense, media has come the same way as the Catholic church: there are some within the structure that do their work because they firmly believe in what they are doing to be the right thing, but the major part of the organizations have ulterior motives.
Quote:There is a big difference between knowing that some shit happens and seeing it. The impact is hugely different. And if that impact is going to be what makes the difference between indifference and action, then I say shove it infront of people faces.
That's the point. It won't work. People that aren't understanding the words will not understand the images either. The only people attracted by that are the sensationalists, those people that need to have the next season of The Walking Dead more bloody than the previous one because there must be "an improvement". And besides, what do people see? An arab killing someone. Do you REALLY think that anybody will be more interested in the backgrounds? That anyone seeing this will start to give it thought other than "Kill the ragheads"? I sincerely doubt that.
Quote: For Heaven's sake, there are media campaigns to remove the execution video from the web. These people must be out of their senses - a colleague of theirs was beheaded, and they want to remove what most likely can have a tremendous contribution to governmental action induced by public opinion. We have to consider the greater good here.
There are two sides to that story. You have to agree that the spreading of this video was one of the goals of the people that commuted the crime. By circulating it, you do them a favor. Most people will react in one of two ways to this video: They will hate Arabs, or they will fear Arabs. The latter is what the terrorists want; the former isn't a good thing either.
I also don't believe that circulating the video will contribute to public opinion. The average person is dumb. Most Americans do not even know were Iraq is. Videos like this will not educate them.
I don't need luck, I have ammo.