If the media was silenced, what would change? Western civilization would no longer see every Middle-Eastern protest. Terrorist videos, such as those made by Bin Laden would no longer be broadcast for the world to gape at. News-feed from the Venezuelan President’s speech in which he called out leader the devil would never have reached American ears. Suicide bombs, Muslim extremist retaliation, Iranian nuclear desires, stubborn North Korean threats and bomb tests, the growing Chinese army: none of these panic-laden issues would torment television watchers, newspaper readers, radio lovers.

In light of recent times, this doesn’t seem so bad. Reactions might be severe. Americans might panic knowing there are things happening that they don’t know about. They might watch the tiny country around them and wonder how things are going across the water. Protests would ensue, riots might break out. I highly doubt it though.

You see, if media were silenced, nothing would change. The media doesn’t do us any good by lying to us, exploiting our fears, playing on our desperation for things to change. Who knows the truth about what is truly going on in the world, and how bad it all really is? I’ll be damned if I know. Anyone who thinks they know is probably more foolish than that. Even if all of America was properly informed as to the degree of severity Earth’s current issues level out as, there isn’t anything we could do about it. We would be in the same place we are right now: watching the Daily Show and Fox News and bitching about whatever comes to mind. Yes I know, you would prefer to know something rather than nothing, despite the media’s biases. Perhaps, then, you should consider the repercussions media is having on these issues to begin with.

If not for media, why would Bin Laden make videos? If no one were able to watch them, they would be pointless. The Muslims sit in the Middle East burning American flags. Who would know if there wasn’t a camera watching as they did it? Recent media interference has fueled the fire created by tensions throughout the world and is exasperating the problem. Media outlets grab any sensational looking story, despite the fact that they may be encouraging the wrong people and giving voice to those who should be silenced.

Take the recent issue of the Pope. He made a speech that was taken largely out of context and blown out of proportion. He apologized, and one very intelligent leader, although I regret to say I forget who, accepted the apology. He then stated that if Muslims retaliated with violence, perhaps the Pope was right in his statement after all. Muslims did retaliate with violence, as we all saw, with churches burning and at least one innocent nun slaughtered. Had the media not been there to carry the Pope’s words out of context and then present them in a goading manner, or even just the former, perhaps none of the repercussions would have occurred. The Muslims would never have known, just as the Muslims in the time of the man the Pope was quoting never heard the original words. But media exists now, and the Muslims caught wind of snippets, and were then encouraged by cameras and reporters and every other outlet to demonstrate violently so that the West could fear them that much more. Or so they hope.

If we were to watch any news channel or read any decent newspaper, the media is presenting our current world problems to look like we are on the cusp of World War III. This creates panic and we think, “I’ll have to keep watching the news to make sure nothing happens.” First we need to realize that we don’t have any control over what is going on. The people who are in control (like it or not, the majority of you voted for them, so deal with your choices) know what is truly happening and are working toward ending such issues. If they’re not, we don’t have any ability to stop them.

(We do, you might scream. We have the power to change our government, and have the power to affect the world. Tell me how and I’ll believe you, but I haven’t seen it happen once in my lifetime on any level except a local one.)

The media wants us to panic so they get higher ratings and sell more papers and ad space and make money. It looks like hell out there, but I believe the media is making it look worse than it is, and most of the severity of the situation is coming from the media sticking their noses in everything.