Photo by: Photocase
I would have liked to write about my weekend, my blogfriend who came to dinner and what a fantastic girl she is, about my son, about the food, about the sea. But I cannot. I saw pictures of the 34 children that were killed yesterday morning in the Israeli attack in Qana. I am speechless and anyway, I don’t think there’s anything left to say when children’s bodies are stacked in ambulances to make room for other little bodies that are brought out of buildings. I am going to translate boring blocks of text to numb my mind because I still can do that. Unlike the mothers and fathers in Qana.
My song of the day: The News by Jack Johnson, that my friend Barrett has so wonderfully sung to me.
Why don’t the newscasters cry when they read about people who die? At least they could be decent enough to put just a tear in their eyes Mama said It’s just make believe You can’t believe everything you see So baby close your eyes to the lullabies On the news tonight
July 31st, 2006 at 8:05 am
OH Chloe, I know…
This is affecting me as well; I have posted over and over about this and can’t get the thoughts and images out of my head.
xoxo
July 31st, 2006 at 8:29 am
Hello again
My mother called as I was leaving that last message. I wanted to say something more profound than what I did. I am disgusted at the U.S., Canada and other nations for not insisting on a ceasefire. I am reading a book about Israel right now; I have to try and understand the context of all this, but whatever the root cause, there is never a justification for what is going on now. For God’s sake; whoevers God.
Stop killing innocent people. Good people, who only wanted to love their children and live a happy life.
What shall we do?…
July 31st, 2006 at 8:40 am
I agree. It is still a bit of an abstract thing to me as I have had so little access to news, but I suspect it will hit me more when I’m back home, and back to watching the news.
July 31st, 2006 at 9:52 am
I think everyone gets affected, but in order to deal with the harsh of the reality, many newscasters go to a place in their minds where they don’t feel the “hit” on their hearts. I think this is why many of them report in monotone voices.
July 31st, 2006 at 10:02 am
I think newscasters have to maintain on-screen impartiality, so they can’t really show their emotions too much. I’m sure many of them do cry when the cameras are turned off. This news is horrific, and extremely upsetting, but doesn’t surprise me at all.
One of the things that annoys me about news coverage of war is that the media often helps perpetuate the myth of ‘precision bombing’. As if smart missiles and GPS stop bystanders being killed. The simple problem being that smart missiles are targetted by people and people get stuff wrong. So a ’smart missile’ is only as smart as its targetting. Still, I’m entirely sympathetic towards Israel’s stance, but as previously stated I think when bystanders get caught up in the destruction they rally behind the enemy.
July 31st, 2006 at 10:04 am
Cathy
what shall we do.
protest to our governments and to the European Union, to the UN?
But most of all, what we can do is make sure we are raising children who will never go on to commit attorcities against other nations and who will be tolerant. That’s all i can think of.
Any more ideas are welcome.
kimananda
don’t watch the news. don’t see those images. they are haunting me.
angel
you are refering to the lyrics of the song?
It’s a beautiful song, all of it, not just the part i posted.
i think it’s from a kid’s point of view, who asks her/his mother why newscasters don’t cry. But i have seen newscasters cry.
July 31st, 2006 at 10:08 am
Jack
the lyrics are from a song, maybe a kid’s point of view who asks why newscasters don’t cry. I know they cry off screen and it is expected, especially because many of them have been to the places they describe.
There are no surgical bombings. These people were in their pyjamas when the missiles hit them. Whatever Israel’s cause for that was, it was not good enough.
July 31st, 2006 at 10:10 am
I guess newsreaders do cry…just not on air. The same way a police officer attends an accident and will remain professional and focused…until they get home.
July 31st, 2006 at 10:18 am
dba
i know!
when 9-11 happened i was at work, writing about the New York fashion week that was just beginning. I had a hundred photos to crop and reuters stories to read about the Fashion Week.
And while we were watching the destruction, and people falling to their deaths, i was told to go on writing about the Fashion Week.
But when the second tower crumbled to dust, my boss asked me to drop what i was doing and start researching terrorism and middle eastern terrorist groups on the internet.
I went home at about 2 in the morning and cried all way in the taxi. I couldn’t cry at work because then i wouldn’t have been able to read text on my screen.
July 31st, 2006 at 11:02 am
I was thinking the same thing this AM. It’s one of the reasons my vacation post never happened…there I was on holiday…I did see a newscaster nearly break down while broadcasting from near a bomb shelter. It was an absolutely horrible moment though - he couldn’t not react.
I don’t blog about it, but I do think about it a lot.
July 31st, 2006 at 11:19 am
Well, I saw a portuguese reporter in the verge of dropping a tear or two in Qana yesterday.
It’s an appalling situation - even in war there are some rules, you don’t just go around killing dozens of children. It’s horrible.
I should go on holiday more often because it’s great to come here and having loads of posts to read. I’ll savour them
July 31st, 2006 at 12:25 pm
It is hideous. Countries
like the U.S. should strive
to encourage a ceasefire -
instead of providing the
weapons to Israel - and the
“aid packages” to Lebanon.
July 31st, 2006 at 2:17 pm
If I was a newscaster, I’d be fired for giving my opinions that are not necessarily the views of the television station employing me.
July 31st, 2006 at 2:52 pm
It’s what nightmares are made of. I saw two nescasters tear up in my life time–once when President Kennedy was shot and the other when the twin towers fell–it didn’t make me fell better or feel as though they shared the world’s pain, but just that if these stoic figures could tear up–then the event was an such an atrocity that just felt encompassing. I think i mcuh prefer for them to emotionless.
July 31st, 2006 at 3:34 pm
I can’t bear to watch TV. It assaults my senses. But what I find out on the Internet is enough.
Listen to Randi Rhodes on Air America.You can stream Air America at AirAmericaradio.com Be aware that plenty of Americans don’t go along with what’s happening.
There’s been a big change on the Left. We’re better organized and more effective than we have ever been.
The Dems have got to reform and stop rolling over and playing dead for the neo cons and religious nuts. Joe Lieberman is about to lose his seat in the Senate for being the most egregious example of pandering to the Republicans.
Well, got to get back to organizing my little corner of the world.
July 31st, 2006 at 5:39 pm
If ever there was a time for a ceasefire, it is now.
July 31st, 2006 at 8:16 pm
it’s not about the current situation, but i want to quote another song’s lyrics:
I can’t believe the news today
But I can’t close my eyes and make it go away
How long
How long must we sing this song
How long?
How long?
i really don’t understand how anyone can defend israel’s actions over the past few weeks, much less the last 40+ years. i saw this article on bbc and it just sums up the outrage i feel every time i see the news these days. of course the US doesn’t want a cease fire, we’re still busy arming israel. as long as the checks keep clearing the bank, we have no reason to stop the hostilities.
and not only that, but it’s the US involvement in this conflict that is the root of the hatred against us over the entire region. and it’s US tax money that is supporting and sustaining the conflict. the US government has given israel upwards of $13 million EVERY DAY since 1948. there are so many other useful things our tax money can be doing that actually benefits americans it’s just so outrageous. sorry for the rant, but this has been one of my personal issues for quite a number of years.
back to the topic at hand, i think news casters don’t cry on air because they are so far removed from the situation that they really don’t feel the pain. they understand the tragedy involved but it’s not their relatives or their friends being killed over there. it reminds me of yet another song’s lyrics actually:
Well the bubble headed bleach blonde
Comes on at five
She can tell you ’bout the plane crash
With a gleam in her eye
It’s interesting when people die
Give us dirty laundry
July 31st, 2006 at 10:44 pm
Great point, Chloe. (Great blog, too!)
August 1st, 2006 at 1:49 am
I was watching the late late news here (in Aust it was around 11:10pm) when the planes hit the WTC.
I watched the second plane hit live, this was from a live cross to the WTC for the first one, with details still really sketchy here.
I felt for the newsreader that night. It was unfolding right in front of her eyes, as it was ours, and she had to call it.
I’ve never seen a TV newspresenter cry, even when recently here, during the mine collapse in Tasmania (you may have heard about it), a well known newsreporter died from a heartattack on the story. His colleugesw and freinds, who presented the news to us, the public, within minutes, still didn’t cry.
Then of course they are reporting on Lebanon and this latest massacre of innocent people.
And I still haven’t seen one newspresenter or reporter cry.
I wonder sometimes, if the majority of newspeople are merely automatons. There is no shame in crying over death, in fact no shame in crying over anything painful. Human emotions are more powerful than proffesionalism.
However, having said that; would one watch a news service where all the presenters cried over everything? It would itself become a kind of obscene spectacle.
Let’s not forget either, that it is through the empathy of many many reporters that we, sitting in our comfy homes, even hear of some of the atrocities being commited around the world. Many of these reporters, while not visibly appearing personally disturbed by what the experience on the front line or wherever is, are in fact by there being there and reporting, showing us their empathic side.
Journalists take on this task, to share the pain (of those directly and adversley affected by whatever atrocities are being commited), with us sitting in our comfy homes so that we can do something positive to change what we see.
All the pictures from Viet Nam for example. Although they were shown to us by “impassionate”, or monotoned ‘automatons’, they were the pictures that eventually got the people involved in ending the war.
Maybe the current journalists in the world’s troubled places can do the same.
I hope I’ve been able to say what I tried to say.
In the end though, it doesn’t matter if they, the newpresenters cry. As long as WE cry. And if we cry together, we are humanity. And we, all of us, together, can bring about peace. Once we’ve done that, we can all smile and laugh and rejoice together, as humanity.
August 1st, 2006 at 2:30 am
i’ll see your jack and counter with a modest mouse.
i came as gold/ i came as crap/ i came to clean/ i came as a rat.
it takes a long time but god dies too/ but not before he’ll stick it to you.
well i ain’t sure but i been told you’ll never die and you’ll never grow old.
i’m beginning to think nietzche was right.
August 1st, 2006 at 10:01 am
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Please look my blog when you free time. Thank you for reading my comment.
Have a good-day.
August 1st, 2006 at 10:55 am
Dear Chloe,
I am so glad that I was not able to watch the news and see those poor children. What could their tiny lives have to do with all this ugliness…
Hugs,
Connie
August 1st, 2006 at 3:35 pm
i can’t take it. i dont know why they dont cry- i could not do this job, i would be a blubbering idiot.
August 1st, 2006 at 5:46 pm
Den einai mono oi petheres pou den ntrepontai. Ntropi tous.
August 1st, 2006 at 5:58 pm
War is always sad and evil. And I’m afraid my government, every other government, and terrorists don’t see it that way. I think the blame lies with all parties involved. Hatred breeds more hatred and violence breeds more violence no matter which side or sides it comes from.
August 1st, 2006 at 9:39 pm
i always wondered that myself. it is so sad- when you see innocent victims in the midst of all the bloodshed. why should they have to pay?
August 1st, 2006 at 11:12 pm
Such terrible, terrible news. Why do innocent children have to be involved in all of this. So sad.
I think newscasters do cry, in fact I have seen it happen on TV here. Sometimes it must be really difficult to not be affected by what they are reporting on.
I hope you are OK, Chloe.
Take care, Meow xx
August 2nd, 2006 at 1:31 am
Thank you for coming my blog. I’m very pleased. Uh… I don’t know about forgine food but I know about Japanese food. I like Maguro(tuna) and Ra-men. Ra-men looks like pasta. I would like to know your favorite food. Please tell me about it.
August 2nd, 2006 at 4:18 am
I can’t watch the news anymore… it is too upsetting
August 2nd, 2006 at 7:09 am
Have you ever experienced one of those days where it seems like every country is blowing up, the sky is falling, there are nuclear spills, global warming has melted all the icecaps and a quarter of the population has died of AIDS and you watch the news and you can just barely see that in their eyes they look just a little bit more hollow and washed out, their voice sounds more tired?
I think that’s the closest we get to seeing a newscaster cry.
August 2nd, 2006 at 8:46 am
Newscasters CAN’T cry. Period. I used to wonder the same thing too. Then I did a course, and knew why.
August 3rd, 2006 at 12:37 am
I work with children, and everytime I hear news about the senseless death of children I can’t help but think of all the little ones I see every day.
August 3rd, 2006 at 5:54 pm
I can’t watch anymore news it’s just o much to handle.
August 17th, 2006 at 5:30 am
yes, its sad indeed…..the recent blasts in indai was also quite shocking…”violence , violence everywhere, y not stop somwhwere??”….:(