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August 02, 2007
Tone it down
This will sound very callous of me, but isn't the media blowing the Minneapolis bridge collapse way out of proportion? It is a tragic, horrific event. At least four people have died, and possibly thirty to forty more have died. It will scar survivors forever. But does it deserve round-the-clock, on-location coverage? I don't know.
When looking at other events that have garnered such attention, this simply isn't on the same scale. The one that comes immediately to mind is the Virginia Tech massacre. That was the product of a deranged, psychotic person. It tapped into our fears that anybody could be a mass murderer. The 9/11 attacks had a similar psychological effect.
But this... Honestly, it doesn't cause any great fear for me. The Mayor of Minneapolis was on TV, talking about how his town will survive this like it was another Oklahoma City bombing. Can it really be that traumatic?
I won't avoid bridges because of this. As of right now, the collapse appears to be a freak accident, unpredictable, utterly improbable, but mundane. I don't know why that bridge collapsed, but I know that whatever it was isn't likely to make another bridge fall down tomorrow. The collapse was an awful event - just not one that is a national tragedy.
entry no. 926
Posted by oz115 at August 2, 2007 05:16 PM