The last week has been filled with news story about Lance Armstrong, Manti Te’o, and Natalie Wood. Why is it we care so much about:
- A bicyclist who took drugs to win a race;
- A college football player who fell for a woman over the internet to only find out it was a hoax;
and - The cause of death of a woman who died over thirty years ago?
How does any of the above affect our personal lives? They don’t, yet we watch and suck these things down like our morning coffee. It’s all about gossip.
We live in a society that thrives on it. Don’t believe me? The Jerry Springer show has been on the air since 1991. We have the Real Housewives of Miami, Beverly Hills, Atlanta, just name a place. Even when we hear that reality television isn’t truly real, we soak up these programs faster than the producers create them. We make stars out of people who behave badly.
Proverbs 17:4 reads, Troublemakers listen to troublemakers, and liars listen to liars. I don’t think there’s a whole lot to add to this verse.
Why is it we can’t get enough of this type of information? Could it be because it makes us feel better about our own lives? After all, our sister didn’t sleep with our daughter’s boyfriend. And someone on that boat had to be responsible for Natalie Wood’s death, whether it be her husband or a friend. It doesn’t matter that the woman’s own children have said to let it rest. If we can prove someone guilty, then we’re obviously not as bad of a sinner as they are.
But we have to remember, God doesn’t measure sins. All are equal in his eyes. The gossiper, the thief, and the murderer will have to answer to God in the end.
Fox News, CNN, your local station is in the business of making money. As long as their ratings soar 
with the gossip media they produce, nothing will change. Only when viewers stop watching will they return to telling the news.
So the next time your evening sportscaster is discussing what a teammate said about Tim Tebow, change the station, and send an e-mail letting them know you did, because you want the news, not the gossip. Until we take a stand, the media will not change what they show. And we can do it with just the click of a button.
I agree totally, but I don’t think it ends there. Our collective fascination with the dirty linen in everyone else’s lives creates an atmosphere that encourages mentally unbalanced and angry outcasts to act out because they know they’ll get the recognition they so desperately crave. We really need to start showcasing and admiring openly, all the good things people do and the lives they change. Like the recent book, Ordinary People, Extraordinary Heroes, like high school students who spend their free time serving up meals in a soup kitchen, like the runner who helped a confused competitor over the finish line instead of grabbing the opportunity to win by default. Like soldiers and police officers who put their lives on the line every time they put their uniform on. Like nurses who find time to hold the hand of a lonely patient. The legions of really good people who live among us is endless and most of them will never be known beyond those whose lives they touch.
I agree totally Skye. If we focused on the good instead of the bad, imagine how much better this world would be. Unfortunately the news mantra is “If it bleeds, it leads” because that’s what viewers want to see. Unless we change our attitudes, things will not change in this world.