Did we forget?
Wasn’t there something on December 7th?
Sitting on the back porch, sipping some hot chocolate with the Sidekick. Can you believe that we are in December, and it has been up to the high 70s lately? Yep, a bit of rain in the morning and muggy high December temperatures. The Sidekick looks with curiosity as some birds fly by. It is almost too warm in the mornings for hot chocolate, but hey, who doesn’t like it?
I noticed something in the last few days, as December is upon us. There was little mention whatsoever of the “Day of Infamy.” For most media outlets and social media, it was mentioned later in the day as simply an afterthought. You know we had more important things to discuss. I’ll give examples from two major outlets: CNN and Fox. I pulled up their perspective pages at 8:30 pm CST on December 7, 2022, and this is what I found.
Regarding CNN, I did not find the mention of the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor anywhere on their main page. I skimmed it three times. I did not find anything mentioning that on December 7, 1941, more than 2,300 Americans died from that attack. Instead, these are some of the supposedly more important articles I found. Casey Anthony shares her version of events in her daughter’s death. What you need to know. Then there was Jennifer Lawrence, draws criticism over comment about female action heroes. There was also Paul Pelosi was seen on Capitol Hill.[1] Not a single article on the main page. Hmmm, I find that disturbing, to be honest.
The Sidekick is letting me know he is done with his hot chocolate, and he is now ready for some 2-year-old wind sprints. That young man has more energy than the energizer bunny.
Back to CNN, is the Casey Anthony, Jennifer Lawrence, or Paul Pelosi story indeed news? Or is it more modern-day journalist sensationalism? Hmmm, I would say the latter.
I go to Fox News’ main page. Now buried almost at the bottom, way after These are the best 11 vintage cares to buy right now is finally a story on Pearl Harbor. Now I am one to appreciate vintage cars. But I also respect and show reverence to the events that happened at Pearl Harbor, especially when it is its anniversary of it. There were other thought-provoking articles, such as Thousands of drivers overcharged on toll roads or the story about a high school team not completing a pass all season.[2] These are thought-provoking but not really news.
I question whether a high school football team runs the ball or passes is truly a newsworthy topic. Are the 11 vintage cars that one must buy now a big-time newsworthy topic? Or are these topics designed to diversify their audience by certain specialties instead of providing news?
The 81st anniversary of the Bombing of Pearl Harbor, I would say, is news. Yes, we are recanting the events 81 years ago. Those events haven’t changed but what has changed is how we look at them in hindsight. With it being omitted, it seems quite evident that we are either completely over it or we are in the stage we have forgotten about it.
Well, the Sidekick is scoping out the cup to see if some hot chocolate is either left in the cup or some just magically appeared in the cup for him.
I would think this day would still live in infamy, as FDR put it. I would think this day would still disturb us. I would think this day is still relevant to our country. This was the catalyst that drew our nation into World War II. On this very day, we didn’t just lose 2,300 Americans. Now, this day laid the foundation where we lost around 420,000 Americans.[3]
It would seem that this would be worth reporting on. But hey, that is just me. Suppose we lose focus on simply reporting events that some deem as some of the most important events in a century. Then I question the relevance of modern-day reporters. Some creative journalists could have interviewed the relatives of one of the 420,000 Americans lost and what Pearl Harbor and the war meant to them. I am quite sure they would have got an ear full. But hey, that is just me.
Well, December 7 has come and gone, but you know what? I think I will keep on pondering about it since so many have tucked that memory away and have forgotten about it.
This is My Friday’s Thought to Ponder for the Weekend.
The Vet
[1] (CNN, 2022)
[2] (Fox News, 2022)
[3] (history on the net, 2022)
(2022, December 7). Retrieved from Fox News: https://www.foxnews.com/
CNN. (2022, December 7). Retrieved from https://www.cnn.com/
history on the net. (2022, December 7). Retrieved from How Many Americans Died in WW2?: https://www.historyonthenet.com/how-many-americans-died-in-ww2
