If it's one thing modern TV does right, it's provide live views of calamities. Well, no, it doesn't acatually do that right but in the case of Israel bombing the shit out of Gaza it's pretty interesting.
As of this posting, it's daylight in Gaza and CNN International (MSNBC and FNC have taken a powder but FUCK THEM anyway) is showing us live footage of some smoke rising above some buildings and angry Simetic people using a long "u" when they speak. This somewhat reminds me of watching live as the US rolled into Iraq. I think that was Oscar night of 2003, which was pretty awkwaaaard if I recall correctly.
The network that does this the best, though, is Al-Jazeera. Even though AJ has an English-language affiliate, no cable provider in the US will pick them up because LOLTERRISTS. But AJ itself is not afraid to get up in the grill of a war and show the real consequences of it. You would never see CNN do that unless they felt that the warporn was justified (i.e., it's not Americans shown as being blown to pieces). It's pretty quaint that way, that American TV is usually fine with deplorable violence but not when it gets REAL. What's the point of disensitizing people if you're not gonna follow up with the real thing?
What this ultimately means, though, is that despite 450+ dead Palestinians, many of whom are kids, most people don't seem to know or care what's happening to them. Outside of the US, people are more sympathetic to the Palestinians. But here in the good ol' US o' A, people sympathize with the Israelis.
Why is this? You can speculate all you want but I think utltimately the difference is this: Hamas' rockets have killed a grand total of four people, and the biggest complaints about them is that they are a nuisance. A nuisance! They interrupt people's daily lives and shit. Perhaps Americans view nuisances and annoyances as being a bigger deal than outright carnage because Americans just don't know what carnage is. It's not so much "ignorance is bliss" but "oh no, you mean... you mean they have trouble getting a MOCHA? oh, oh my, oh my g- *chokes up*." It's just a different perspective.
So if you live in the States, count yourself lucky that you are so shielded from real danger that you perceive irritations as being the absolute worst thing possible! I don't know whether that's a good thing or not, but I guess it's not because Americans tend to be really stupid about foreign affairs and stupid people annoy me. AND THAT IS THE WORST THING I CAN POSSIBLY CONCEIVE OF RRRGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
*goes back to watching history unfold*
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