I remember years ago when all the bad things that happened in our country and around the world were neatly stored in the various news casts throughout the day. Whether it was the morning news, evening news or nightly news, that’s where you tuned in to find out what politicians were doing and what terrible things had recently transpired. Nowadays, there is no escape from news or politics. It is forced on you whether you want it or not, and on certain programming that historically was reserved for entertainment. We all agree that everyone is affected when tragedies occur, but once I am informed, does every program I watch have to weigh in on it and voice their opinions?
Case in point; I was watching the TNT pre-game basketball show, and the Emmy-Award Winning crew of Ernie Johnson, Kenny Smith, Charles Barkley and Shaquille O’Neal opened the broadcast discussing the mass-murder in Uvalde, Texas at Robb Elementary School where a gunman took the lives of 19 innocent children and 2 faculty members. And, 17 other people that suffered non life-threatening injuries during this merciless assault. Now as much as I love the TNT team, I wondered if it was a good idea to remind your audience of a tragedy that they have been inundated with all day, when they were probably tuning in to escape by watching a basketball game, and the crew’s analysis of the upcoming match up between the Warriors and the Mavericks?
I respect the fact that Ernie and the guys all had feelings about what happened, but we all need a getaway from life and the realization that mankind can be as evil as it is sometimes. Their opinions on subjects unrelated to what people have come to expect from them, and any other shows specifically geared for entertainment, these opinions could and should be expressed on the myriad platforms of social media. I want to retain the right to pick and choose when I want to deal with unpleasant news and events, and not have that right taken away from me because everyone wants to weigh in on everything, whether you have tuned in for that or not. Entertainers should realize, and remember, that the entertainment, joy and laughter they provide to their audience is something that is necessary and needed to allow us everyday people to cope with life in general. I’m just saying…
