The Gulf Oil Spill. Much to do about Nothing?
The Gulf Oil Spill. Another example of media hysteria?
That is right….I said it. In hindsight, the gulf oil spill is beginning to look like another story that was over exaggerated (See Swine Flu Declared Over) in order to whip the public into a frenzy, when in fact it never was as bad as it was reported. As a matter of fact, I think that the media owes the residents of the gulf coast a big apology, and come to think of it even Tony Hayward deserves amends for the coverage of this cataclysmic disaster.
Gulf Residents should be furious
During the course of the spill, I made a point to ask numerous people who live on the coast to give their personal input into what they have seen first hand. The answer that I received was generally that they saw no ill effects, except for the fact that the beaches and resort towns were deserted. They took it a step further and were very frustrated due to the fact that the only real damage was to the economy of the area. Tourism, Fishing, and other recreational activities were non existent, making these businesses the true casualties of the Gulf Oil Spill.
Thanks to the media coverage, I wouldn’t be surprised if there were more people sunbathing in the Russian city of Chernobyl this year than spending time on the gulf coast.
Even I bought into the Act
As readers of this site know, I bought into the hysteria as well. It was hard not to do with the beating of the media drum 24/7 about the impact of the spill.
However, I started to become skeptical when I kept on seeing the same picture an oil coated pelican floating in a pool of crude. I saw the same picture on the cover of Newsweek, Time, and every other supposed “news” magazines. As a matter of fact, I heard that this pelican has been swarmed with offers for interviews, and even a new reality television show about its experience during the spill.
Tony Heyward is another victim
The beleaguered Tony Heyward is another victim of the spill. Don’t get me wrong, he is not beyond reproach for what happened, but to hear the coverage, you would think that he strapped on a wetsuit and planted the explosive that caused the DeepWater rig to explode.
BP has poured a large amount of money into the clean up for the disaster, and tried to do the right thing, but he was still held up there as the poster child for all that is evil in the corporate world. He was even chastised for taking a day off to sail on his boat, while Obama avoids criticism for playing golf more often than Tiger Woods.
Obama deserves praise for his recent actions
Barack Obama did a great thing when he took his family down to the gulf coast this weekend to show support for the tourism down there. He even took it a step further by getting into the water with his daughter for a swim, which should provide amble evidence that a dip in the gulf will not cause immediate and painful death. Kudos to the president…..
What have I learned?
Unfortunately, I have learned yet again that the media in this country will not hesitate to overplay a story in order to get more eyeballs on the screen. As a result, I think that we will have to start doing more research into the news stories that break to avoid buying into another Armageddon like the gulf oil spill.
If I can say it in here, much of the discussion about Tiger Woods will be rendered academic now that his divorce, which we were kept in the dark about, is over and done with and he can continue with what he does best – playing golf. Go Tiger!