Real Reality TV
theophilus January 28th, 2009
We’ve been snowed and iced in for the past two days. I hate driving in winter weather, but I also don’t like skipping out on work during the work week. So, Monday night I made sure I brought work home in anticipation of the storm.
This morning, I was working in our study when my wife called me in to watch something on the news. It was snowing rather heavily and roads were becoming impassable. The news had a camera set up outside its studios focused on a stretch of a hill of I-71, one of the interstates through town.
At first, we saw a semi abandoned in the right lane of the downhill part of the hill. Then we saw a car do a 180 degrees spin out, facing the other way. The weather guy missed the spin out, but gasps could be heard from the rest of the studio crew.
The weatherman quickly realized what was going on and started providing play-by-play of this car. The driver finally got his car out of the way and turned around just in time to avoid a semi coming down the hill.
He tried to get moving again, but ended up getting stuck in the middle lane. So, now only one lane was open.
The problem grew more acute because a line of cars appeared over the crest of the hill; driving in both lanes. The cars and semis in the middle lane had to cut over into the left lane. Most were going way too fast for the conditions. Many were cutting things way too close with the car in the middle lane.
All the while, the newscasters were still providing commentary; and we were riveted to the scene.
Sure enough, another line of cars came over the hill; but this time they were two abreast. A couple of cars in the middle lane were able to get over, but there finally was a car that had no place to go and no possible way to stop. He slammed straight into the stuck motorist.
The danger then only increased as cars and semis kept coming over the hill. To add to the drama, both motorists got out of their cars and started inspecting the damage. If another car or semi had come down and hit them, it would have been all over for them.
The second car finally got out of the way; and then he came back to try and help the first motorist to get to the side of the road.
I finally decided to turn away from the scene and get back to work.
And when I reflected on the whole episode, what really bothered me was that I failed to realize that there was a guy in the first car who found himself in a very scary and hopeless situation. There was a guy in the second car who must have felt powerless when he realized he was going to slam into the first car. There were people in all of the cars and semis coming down the hill whose hearts must have skipped as they struggled to avoid the cars.
There were real people in these vehicles in situations that I have found myself in way too often.
Yet, I wasn’t thinking of them as I watched it all unfold. It was TV; it wasn’t real life.
There was some point when I did say a quick prayer for them, but I couldn’t tell you when. On the whole though, I just didn’t humanize the people involved. I didn’t empathize with their dire situation; I was being too entertained, in a sick sort of way.
When the scene started to unfold, I should have said prayers to Mary and their guardian angels to protect them. I should have asked God to let the first motorist get his car out of the way. I should have asked Christ to guide others away from the cars. Again, at some point, I did say some prayer, but by then the damage had been done, both to the guys involved and to my own soul.
Our culture is toxic; and we need to do everything we can to ensure we do not succumb when our desire to be entertained comes at the expense of the sufferings of others. We make this mistake when we become entertained by the soap opera stories of political figures, sports stars, newsmakers and celebrities, without realizing there are real people involved.
I made this mistake today, and it’s ate at me the entire day. I’m just hoping that the days for these guys got a lot better; and that they are sitting with their families and friends tonight, telling one heck of a story, and giving thanks to God that it wasn’t worse.
Your thoughts should give all of us time to reflect on what we see in the News. Perhaps we are too conditioned to what we see on TV.
In my classes, when we were asked to do a “Let Your Experience Teach” concept, The one concept of expressing “what you thought” about something special happening was easy for most of the Guys. The hardest part was expressing “what were you feeling about what was happening”. So Many of the men were never able to put in writing. You have mastered that concept. Keep up the good work.
God bless
Tadhg