WouldntULike2Know 2/19

In class today, Dr. Rog instructed us to skim through either Baudrillard passage and select a quote that we felt was important. We selected, as did another group coincidentally, the quote "terrorism would be nothing without the media." (229) from The Spirit of Terrorism (2002). On 9/11, a great deal more was accomplished then the terrorists’ face value objective to crash planes into the World Trade Center. From that very second the first plane hit the tower; there was a climate of fear surrounding everyone. People became increasingly xenophobic and suspicious. This was logarithmically perpetuated by the media. I happened to be watching a stand up routine on Comedy Central this past weekend where the comedian, an African American, commented on how, as a result of the 9/11 attacks, the societal progression towards racism stemming from suspicion and fear has placed him in a better societal situation. He said that "Arabs are the new black. White people aren't so scared of blacks because they will just steal your car radio... But if you get on a plane with an Arab, your worried your plane's going down" (something to that effect).

While this unfortunate reality is something that all Arab Americans must deal with, this very fact over joys the few extremists who are plotting their next attack. If people are afraid, it’s because they have reason to be and the media is the driving force behind that fact.

Baudrilliard then goes on to say that "There is no 'good' use of the media; the media are part of the event, they are part of the terror, and they work in both directions." (229). I am wondering though, how this could be avoided? The media’s purpose is to report the situation. Granted, in the case of 9/11 and other disasters, they focus on the same issue and replay it over and over again. But how else would it be possible to report on a terrifying event without adding to the climate of fear? It seems like the two go hand in hand.