The media seem to cater to the public's fascination with grotesque, macabre, or tragic events.
Violence and tragedy are staples of American journalism because readers are attracted to gruesome stories and photographs. "If it bleeds, it leads" is an undesirable rule of thumb. Judges of contests also have a fatal attraction. Pulitzer Prizes are most often awarded to photographers who make pictures of gruesome, dramatic moments (Goodwin, 1983). Milwaukee Journal editor Sig Gissler summed up the newspaper profession's sometimes Hedonistic philosophy when he admitted, "We have a commercial interest in catastrophe" ("Knocking on death's door," 1989, p. 49).In fact, some have even been disappointed when a tragedy was less gruesome than expected.
Govind was thrilled to see aid workers. He took them to the beach, showed them how far the water had reached, and described how the boats had been sucked out to sea. He pointed out a damaged boat from another village that had washed ashore. They were struck by the neatness of the waterfront: the debris had mostly been cleared. They asked Govind how many people had died in Komitichavadi, and Govind said none.And some people even seem to be energized by having a cause to rally 'round. [Some of these same persons would not cross the street to help someone in their own neighborhoods.]This seemed to disappoint the people from Bangalore. The woman mentioned that the scene did not much resemble what she had seen on TV. They had come looking, one of the workers later said, for "places that had been really destroyed."
Whatever the current tragedy, from David Koresh to 9-11, we can be sure that the media will keep us inundated with the gory details. But as we continue to hear the cries of "Tsunami, tsunami!" I seem to have been plagued with an earworm.
earworm (EER.wurm) n. A song or tune that repeats over and over inside a person's head. Also: ear-worm, ear worm.However, the song running through my head, rather than Tig's Volare song, is to the tune of "Maria" from West Side Story:Example Citation:
"I couldn't get the song out of my head. It's like a broken record," Clark said Thursday while shopping at the Galleria at Tyler mall in Riverside. "I keep humming it, and you know, I don't even like Prince's music."Her experience reflects a phenomenon shared by the vast majority of people, according to an ongoing study at the University of Cincinnati. Nearly everybody has been mentally tortured at one point in their lives by an "earworm" - a tune that keeps repeating itself over and over in their heads.
The research also indicates that people who get the most earworms tend to listen to music frequently and have neurotic habits, such as biting pencils or tapping fingers.
-Hieu Tran Phan, "'Sticky tune' hits a chord with many," The Press-Enterprise, March 4, 2003