Tsunami and the Media

The recent events in Japan reminded us how powerful the forces of nature are. In just one day, the north eastern part of Japan was turned into ruins with cries of the despair echoing in the air. The continued unfolding of the nuclear plant melt down didn’t add any optimism to the country’s wait-to-be revived economy. Pictures and videos of the earthquake and the subsequent tsunamis flooded our TV and computer screens. We all feel the horror with the people in Japan and have our thoughts with them at difficult times.

While it is supposed to be a natural human response to feel for the unfortunate and offer them whatever help they need, there are some “media personalities” that are willing to make fun of other people’s despair to elevate their own status. Two of the most notable ones were Alec Sulken who penned the animated satire Family Guy and the US comedian Gilbert Gottfried. Both paid for what they’ve done – Sulken was forced to make a public apology and for Gottfried, he lost his gig for Aflac. It seems that justice has worked this time on these people but the fact that there are media personalities publicly mocking and making fun of other people’s tragedies was just appalling. The even more appalling fact was that there were people supporting such acts claiming that “jokes should have no boundaries” and these joke “can actually cheer these people up”.

I have no idea where these ideas come from, but the fact that playing on other people’s misfortune as a funny pass time is no laughing matter at all. There are good jokes and bad jokes and the ones in question are definitely bad jokes. I wonder how these people will feel if their love ones passed away and someone cracking jokes about them in front of these people at their funerals. Or maybe we can wait till these people pass away and then tweet and joke about their deaths like “Thank God! No duck asses from Gottfried”.

We can’t expect media personalities to be saints, but if they consistently exhibit low tastes in their speeches or behaviours, they bound to pay the price for it. The whole notion of freedom of speech does not give people a free pass to go and say something to hurt others while they are already in pain. And other people’s argument of artistic expressions should have no boundaries is just an irresponsible expression of speech. How our society has become so unmoved and self-centred is something that needs to be addressed to. Is it the media or the overly tasteless artists who love controversy to earn a buck? If as media we do not condemn what is regarded as low taste, then the last frontier of decency and moral will be gone. What the human race will spiral into is beyond imagination.

I am not saying that we need to be overly politically correct either. I support freedom of speech and freedom of artistic expression. However what we are dealing with at the moment are disasters that costed thousands of people’s life. Since when deaths in natural disasters like this is a good subject for jokes? I am not talking about self-censoring here too, but my point is how low can one go nowadays to be considered as a decent human being if joking about other people’s deaths like this is acceptable? Where are our moral and social responsibilities to our society in this modern world?

And really for the Chinese parents who want New Zealand to pay you out because your kid died in the earthquake (as if there are no New Zealanders lost their lives), or those Chinese people who applauded on Japan’s disasters as a natural pay back of World War II, get a life! You not only exhibit bad tastes but also extremely low life behaviours that need to be spat out by the rest of the world!