And Another Thing:

Something that I've been kind of irritated about all day (but probably wouldn't have mentioned had Ben not paved the way with his entry about Cartoon Network's self-rickroll as a metaphor for the atrophy of society's values and overall integrity) is the fact that when I went to CNN.com this morning, I saw this:

and immediately thought of this:



Really, the only thing that distinguishes CNN's banner from IMDB's is an exclamation point. One tiny punctuation mark, in this case, is the distinction between terrorism and what sounds like a hit tv show.

I know that we are a media-driven society, and that the bloodier and gorier the news is, the more likely we are to watch it. I know that news sources have to post footage of everything--and I do mean EVERYTHING--to remain competitive, to placate our appetites for (generally) useless, but oh-so-current information. I understand this. I also understand that there is a fine line between the news and entertainment. I understand this, because I am one of those people that news stations cater to, who checks the "Crime" section of CNN three times a day, hoping for carnage and mayhem. (I also know that it's hypocritical to find violence in movies totally acceptable but feel sick when I read about similar shit in the news.)

However, this... This seems wrong. Even to me. And my moral compass doesn't always point due north, so if I say something's wrong...

Or maybe I'm making mountains out of molehills.

Either way, I'm going to listen to "We Didn't Start the Fire" now and, like, totally sympathize with Billy Joel's self-righteous indignation.