Media Fail #2

As always, the classy Jon Stewart chose his first moment on air after the Arizona shooting tragedy to bring a moment of hope, compassion, and optimism, and always, reflective sanity, instead of relishing an "aha" moment, so I will do it for him: frankly, he's emerged as the most human and rational social commentator in America, and for a show that "highlights absurdity with humor", he always chooses to recognize the profound moments with gravitas and eloquence.

http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/mon-january-10-2011/arizona-shootings-reaction

"There is light in this situation. I urge everyone to read up on those who were hurt or killed in that situation. You will be comforted by the anonymous goodness there really is in this world. You read about these people and you realize that all these people you've never heard about or met and the lives of real dignity and goodness - and you hear about crazy, but it's rarer than you think."

and later:

"Someone or something will shatter our world again. And wouldn't it be a shame if we didn't take this opportunity to make sure that the world we are creating now, that will ultimately be shattered again by a moment of lunacy, wasn't better than the one we previously lost?"

I mean, as of now, most of the media STILL haven't halted their unproductive mudslinging and instead of taking a critical introspective look into themselves, most comments and opinion articles I read run along the lines of "well, conservatves/tea partiers/Palin is DEFINITELY to blame for this." Definitely, 100%, factually? On your mother's grave? So much for the promise to start deflating hyperbolic rhetoric. I think everyone's been practicing it for so long, they just liken any kind of objectivity or call for unity to surrender. Stewart tries to expose hypocrisy on his show, not engage in it. And he's right. We don't know the causes of the shooting for sure. But why must a tragedy always occur in order for us to open our eyes? We don't need 6 deaths to inform us that our political climate is not what it should be.