Blame the Media

I don’t think I know one person who is satisfied with ‘the media’. I’m not talking about any specific media, but the abstract idea of ‘the media’. The media people are referring to when they say things like, “I can’t believe the media would exploit a story like that,” or “The media is so biased.” Americans have a difficult relationship with this media. Conservatives feel the liberals control it, and liberals think the conservatives own it. The media is blamed for most of society's ills, including, but not limited to eating disorders, school shootings, steroids in baseball, falling house prices, the economic crisis, and teenage pregnancy. Osama bin Laden hasn't done as much to ruin the country.

The problem is that people discuss the media as if it were some uncontrollable beast ravaging our perfect little nation. The truth is that society influences the media much more than the media influences society. If people didn't want to see skinny women, violence, home runs, and sex on television, it simply wouldn't be available. The problem is that people like all that stuff, but they won't admit it. They'd rather blame the media for exposing them to the content instead of themselves for consuming it. It's like blaming your drug dealer for your drug problem.