If you turn the volume down, it appears as if people simply don't like windows.
Shattered dreams. Those could have been my windows.
A hail storm. "All hail our beliefs!"
Smash.
The World
It's so fragile.
Not even our automobile paint jobs are safe.
Speaking of which. WD-40 removes spraypaint quite well, according to memes. I haven't actually tried it though. These days we don't need to try things. Simply pass on the message and you'll be a hero.
I've been observing some more media. Not consuming. Observing.
I noticed a lot of people will report on the reports.
Much like passing on a message, by the time the thoughts and words reach the end of the line, after being processed by several individual minds, the end result is often an entirely new message.
News inspired by news.
On Youtube earlier today I found myself enjoying a few entertaining and informational videos. I wasn't searching for anything about the riots or the protests. Noticed early on though — it didn't take much time at all — the suggestions and auto-play feature was already tempting me with content about what the world wants me to think the world is.
Chaos and confusion.
I'm Canadian. I can't say an imaginary line in the sand makes me much different than someone living south of that border. I won't suggest I'm above all this, even though according to maps, I am.
I knew it would only be a matter of time before our media outlets here in Canada begin covering these civil unrest stories nonstop. The people doing their duty — being good servants to their thought providers — were already sharing the stories, videos, and memes.
I knew it would only be a matter of time and the people here would somehow find a way to join in, and they did.
So one of our main news outlets aired a short speech from Trump. Before I even say what that is, I already know many people reading this have made up their minds, certain they either don't like what he said or like what he said, before I even say what he said.
I'm an outsider. The president of the U.S.A. is only a man wearing a suit in my eyes. Even in my own country, the divisive politics mean nothing to me. Being part of those teams doesn't interest me, at all.
I found it quite interesting how the man in the suit said something like, "Protesting is your right and I support it but I do not support rioting, so I'm calling in the troops to take care of the rioting."
Seconds later, once the man in the suit was finished talking, I saw a woman sitting behind a desk. I guess she's a news reporter. Instantaneously, what the man in the suit said was spun into a new story about how this man in a suit is calling in the troops to put a stop to the protest.
That's not even close to what he said and the news station already had someone standing inside of a square box, ready to share her views with the woman sitting behind a desk who's now inside of another box on my screen. I could tell their talking points were rehearsed somehow.
The target audience might not have even noticed the spin, since what the two women were talking about is most likely what the target audience would want to hear anyway.
It seemed so odd to witness two people twist words intentionally. It was so obvious yet neither of these women attempted to correct one another. They just went on with what looked and sounded like a script. It's eerie but since I'm aware the media panders to specific groups in the society they play a pivotal role in creating, I just assume they were of the bunch who's opposed to the man in the suit.
Some news outlets depend on the fact their consumers will dismiss everything a political figure says. They know their consumers will roll their eyes at the leader while accepting the reporter's views without question. Some news outlets also have it setup so their consumers automatically dismiss what other news outlets say, and depend on that fact to help establish their views. If you're a consumer of news, regardless of where it's coming from, there's a strong chance you've been groomed.
Moving on.
It's spreading.
Later I found myself sucked in to an independent news outlet's report about a reporter being forced out of a protest by protesters here in Canada. Yes, it already made its way through customs and across the border.
The reporter was simply there to report, according to himself, and some people surrounded him aggressively, taunting him; one even called him a nazi. He labelled those people leftists in his report and at that very moment I realized he's also pandering to a targeted audience that would enjoy seeing people acting crazy and being called leftists.
The report was accurate and included video evidence but it became easy to see how that report — and probably many more in the future coming from both sides — will be contributing to turning people against each other, for no other reason than feeling troubled after consuming media.
From there, after observing at least two teams being created by two opposing news outlets, I've concluded since Canadians don't share the same history as those in the U.S.A., the media here still needs to find a way to draw lines in the sand and establish the great divide, then maybe society will be brainwashed into dragging this out, so the media outlets can get their precious views reporting on the new market created, milking it for every penny they can.
The media simply can't function today (social media, mainstream media, alternative media; it's all the same) without those divisions.
If a story is written calling a spade a spade, blasting all sides and everyone in between, holding nothing back, that story will turn potential viewers away, since not many have been preconditioned to relate to it. There's no money in that.
Once those divisions are created, the consumers seem to latch on to the side they are presented, since the source is already someone they trust.
These regular folks are required as they do all the heavy lifting, hearing what they want to hear, then passing it around on social media to their friends who agree.
Those who do not agree are already out of the picture; rage quit long ago and unfollowed/unfriended/blocked/muted after experiencing a political differences communication meltdown of sorts. I'm sure most of us have seen those fights online. This is how people sort themselves out like laundry piles and help establish the echo chambers needed for the media outlets to succeed.
The combination of social media, mainstream media, alternative media; it seems to do an excellent job of starting arguments, then maintaining them.
No problems in this world will ever be solved when the only solution people ever seem to come up with is pointing fingers at the other group and blaming them. The media helps get people fired up and it seems like most people don't realize they're being manipulated.
Solidarity.
I believe the gatherings are spreading all over the world now, according to some reports.
As a sign of solidarity, people from many nations are also gathering to protest what happened, and some reports call it a solidarity movement. That's fine with me, personally. Once people gather though, history shows what happens. One can give it a fancy name like solidarity but it's clear society isn't on the same page. Just look closely at how people fight online. The arguing, the hatred, lack of compassion and respect. We've been conditioned to think something like, "That's just how people are online." As if it's fake.
Look around. The only difference between a flame war online and a flame war in life is it burns internally online and burns externally offline. The flames are real everywhere, once the fire is started.
Ever since the internet, we've been in denial of how ugly humanity truly is.
Personally, I don't think this bout of civil unrest will change anything. Not for the better, anyway.
All it takes now is one idiotic human from every nation to throw a rock and we'll have a worldwide war against glass on our hands. Once everything is said and done, the only thing that'll get fixed are the windows.
I would love to be wrong. Won't pretend like I know what the solution is. Certainly won't be turning to the media (social media, mainstream media, alternative media; it's all the same) for answers either.
Have a nice day.
