How does our society decides, whats important and whats not?
2007-03-28 05:12:10 · 11 answers · asked by Anonymous in Arts & Humanities ➔ History
A society that is oversaturated with fear, anxiety, and sadness will typically focus their attention on "non-events" as if they were very big news. It's a coping mechanism. Anna Nicole probably gave us the opportunity to forget about the threat of terrorism and the war in Iraq for a bit.
Same thing happened in the 1920s. One of the results of the horror of WWI was the out-of-proportion media attention given to minor incidents. Read about the things that were making big news in the 1920s and you'll see for yourself.
2007-03-28 05:25:24 · answer #1 · answered by BooBooKins 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Because of the cynical observation that "One death is a tragedy, a million deaths are a statistic."
Also, the 40,000 children who die of hunger on a daily basis aren't celebrities, and someone equally cynically observed that a celebrity is "someone who is famous for being famous." Anna Nicole was certainly famous for being famous.
To me, the sad thing is that we will never know the potential of any of those 40,000. There could have been among them another great artist in some field, a brilliant scientist, or the next Mother Teresa, but we'll never know.
2007-03-28 12:35:31 · answer #2 · answered by Chrispy 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
For the same reason a community can be concerned over the fate of one tree they know and callous about the deaths of thousands of trees they don't.
They don't know those kids. Actually, we didn't know Anna Nicole Smith either and most of us don't give a damn about her, but the media thinks we should know about her.
Your problem is actually with the media. Tell them to focus on those kids and leave Anna Nicole Smith alone.
Oh, the MAJOR reason so many kids die of malnutrition every year is because their governments are unwilling to accept help or are diverting the funds intended to help those families. Tons of money is donated by private individuals each year and very little of it does any good.
2007-03-28 12:20:31 · answer #3 · answered by loryntoo 7 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Well, i guess the US and Canada are too caught up in celeb gossip and chatter, that they don't really bother with the 40,000 kids. I mean, we don't even know the names of at least ONE that died of malnutrition. Anna Nicole Smith was caught up with drugs so people were trying to figure out if that's WHY she died. but we already clearly know that these children are dying from starvation, so the press probably decides that they can mention it once, and it's enough. Of course, it's not. but that's life.
2007-03-28 12:19:27 · answer #4 · answered by EllaBella 1 · 1⤊ 0⤋
The Media is the same, everywhere in the world, our TV stations are full with this kind of gossip, but I live in Romania where probably 6 from 10 kids goes every night to bed empty stomach but at least they know what is trendy nowadays in USA !
2007-03-28 13:14:34 · answer #5 · answered by Gabriel T 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Good question...
Did you know that in America, one in eight children goes to bed hungry every night?
It seems that America has become a society of voyeurs. We hang on every piece of scandalous trash the media doles out about people we don't know, never will come into contact with. We idloize movie stars, sports figures, we fill our homes with images of the "famous". We emulate them in our lives with our clothing, hairstyles, the way we talk......
Its purely ridiculous.Yet, when the very people we "follow" let their names be used for causes, even here in Q and A, we sit back and complain about it. We post questions about why we answer those questions, we laugh and we joke and we say thigns like "they've got the big bucks, let them donate"...
Its so much easier to be starstruck than it is to care about anything that might cause a little concern...might cause us to be uncomfortable, might cause us to look outside of ourselves and wonder what can be done.
2007-03-28 12:31:28 · answer #6 · answered by aidan402 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
It is ridiculous you are right Just look at Rwanda to see how much America cared about the genocide there Makes you think!
2007-03-28 12:29:36 · answer #7 · answered by hobo 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
The media thinks everyone cares about a burn out.
2007-03-28 12:16:09 · answer #8 · answered by 29 characters to work with...... 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
How many of the starving children were blondes with deformed mammaries?
2007-03-28 14:50:44 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
starving children don’t expose themselves in front of cameras.
Poor paperazzi and news moguls have to make their money.
Actually, I don’t even think that WE are concerned about her.
She is just brutally thrust upon us without our asking.
I’ve always wondered about her alleged ’attractivity’.
You are welcome
2007-03-28 13:01:24 · answer #10 · answered by saehli 6 · 3⤊ 0⤋