REFLECTION OF THE GAZA MASSACRE by Jason Bianco. This passed summer we seen the horrible massacre of Gaza. I think using the phrase “massacre” explains my personal view, as well as the U.N casualty numbers, which raised the civilian death toll as high as seventy five percent. Tensions where high as lines were drawn and sides taken from the outside world. One reason for this division is the high amount, and speed of social media. This really magnifies the prejudice and bias of our mainstream news. Not only how it is delivered but who it is delivered by. As the world watched, we learned of a new strategy used by the israeli military known as “knock on the roof.” according to CNN and Israeli officials this is used as a warning, giving its occupants a couple minutes to evacuate before the building is leveled completely. In the “serious” clip, a CNN reporter with a british accent, was interrupted with a close by “knock on the roof.” He quickly puts on a flak Jacket after the explosion as he reports of people below his balcony running for safety. This had the typical scene of the journalist in the middle of conflict to bring true sensationalism to its viewers. Live and Uncut. Smoke bellows from a previous bombing as he was reporting. The original story he was suppose to cover, was the bombing of a U.N school which killed scores of civilian refugees including children. He quickly reassures the audience that these bombings are in response to Hamas rockets. “responding” is a key word for the viewers, as if it is justified revenge or self defense. This reporter has to make sure that he is not denouncing these bombings that are going off around him. about a minute in, the building that has been warned to evacuate with a smaller bomb, has been hit with a missile and completely demolished. I believe that we are accustomed to listen to an english accent, i think it reassures the audience that whoever is reporting is intelligent and trustworthy. Colors and bright lights have always captivated us like moths to a porch light, which is what we see at the beginning of this clip. Giving off a vibe of a technical, cutting edge advancement in journalism, with the time and day in block computer letters as the latitude and longitude cross hairs zoom in on Gaza to the reporter. I believe that this audience tends to be older. This may be an attempt to keep up with the younger generation’s social media. Older people had no choice but to believe in the “nightly news.” This new generation seems to be much more grassroots, from the people on the ground, and the audience is worldwide, not limited to a nation. which it is getting harder to persuade an agenda. The Daily Show with John Stewart comically displays the gaps and lopsided nature of this conflict that the mainstream media is not allowed to elaborate on. He shows the advancement of the Israeli population, with the “iron dome” anti missile defense system, and even a cell phone app that warns its citizens from the home-made Hamas rockets. He even jokes about a 2.99 version. Then he goes into how Gazans are warned. He calls the new Israeli phrased “knock on the roof,” simply put, as a “smaller warning bombing.” There is always comedy in truth, and with John stewart the serious clips before he dissects a topic makes it even funnier. He shows how small Gaza really is on a map, and how it is completely surrounded by three states who do not acknowledge rights to palestinians and the mediterranean sea. Blocked borders on all sides as he says “ evacuate to where? what are they suppose to do, swim for it”? The silence he sometimes shows after a showing of one of these clips, as if letting the stupidity sink in before he attacks it is brilliant. Another clip John Stewart shows, has more British voiced Journalist. What sums it up is the last clip he uses, as he shows two Journalist side by side. One in Palestine and the other in Israel. the Journalist in Gaza is heavily covered in a flak material, and the other is in a tee shirt. Joking about him looking like he is about to “ bang out a stand up and head to a Jimmy Buffet concert,” as the other looks like “an extra from the Hurt Locker.” Seeing these two side by side makes it funny, as i realize that the comedy of John Stewart, has a lot of visuals in which his jokes heavily rely on. i think his audience is usually politically left and younger. It does not seem to deter the nature of mainstream media. I truly believe that if this was a serious show, it would not be allowed to function. It would be a serious threat of the media outlets. John Stewart and political comedians are modern day Jesters. Court Jesters in medieval times, made fun of current events and people who were well known during the time. As long as it is funny, it is allowed to function. Then and now.
Posted on: Sun, 12 Oct 2014 22:18:27 +0000
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