Was One Chapter Enough for You?
Because I'm in the media, you might find this a strange statement, but I am constantly amazed at how quickly we change from topic to topic.
It's this perpetual Catch-22 that we seem to be in. In the media (especially talk radio) we are told by our bosses to find and talk about whatever people are discussing over their pint of beer or kitchen table.
Because we can only ASSUME what people are talking about, it's kind of a shot in the dark. So once we feel that we've talked too much about something, (or start getting too many phone calls about "beating a dead horse") we move on, thinking you've heard enough.
That's when the accusations come that we've changed the topic too soon and "forgotten" about a story. Like a mystery with an exciting beginning, but the words begin to fade towards the end until it's entirely invisible. Only in this case, nobody seems to care they don't know how it ended.
I double-checked to make sure that nobody was interested in "Developmental Haiti" stories. I have, since Saturday afternoon, taken note of any conversation I can overhear, and taken note of the topics in my own home.
In the coffee place, I overheard 2 ladies talking about fashion. It lasted about 45 minutes. (FYI...purple seems to be big this year).
At the gym a group of guys were talking for over an hour about how awful the Leafs, Oilers, Canadiens, and Flames all are. One man refusing to acknowledge the Senators are playing well. According to him, "They're still the Senators , and will always suck. It doesn't matter how many games they win in a season". Logic is obviously not his strong point.
Granted, on Saturday everybody's status on Facebook and Twitter was ABOUT Haiti, but more so on the Canadian TV fund raising, followed by the American/George Clooney Fund raising. Very few links posted about actual STORIES or INTEREST in Haiti itself.
Just to be sure, today I went online to the Globe, Toronto Star, and National Post to see how many stories about Haiti were on their front page. While all had banners to donate money, and stories about Haiti SOMEWHERE, on the front page only the Star and Post had any reference to Haiti. It was a story about Bill Clinton "praising our efforts" in donating to Haiti. Again, nothing about Haiti itself. The Globe had a link to a photo gallery that their photographer is putting together while in Haiti.
It's kind of a shame that the discussion side of it all is vanishing, because this is where the story becomes VERY interesting.
Gone are the stories of tragedy and personal loss. We are no longer hearing about the orphaned child, or the now single mother, or (perhaps much worse) the former married mother, now just deemed as a widow without child.
Those were the stories of the first 2 weeks. The human interest stories that caught our attention. NOW, should be coming the stories of rebuilding a country, LITEREALLY, from scratch.
A nation, considered the poorest in North America, with a chance to start from scratch, and the entire world donating money, aware of its poverty, and ready to help...IF governments get permission from their people.
We COULD be filling our headlines with stories of banks interested in giving out micro-loans for new businesses in Haiti. Maybe some construction companies investing in a country literally only poor because of a lack of infrastructure to begin with. Or Perhaps governments wanting to invest in a country needing help in designing a proper leadership role for THEIR governments.
Instead, we are on to topics of prorogation, Olympic venue troubles, and more car manufacturing difficulties.
So, instead of me guessing what you want, I'll flat out ask you. Are you interested in Chapter 2 of Haiti? Or, have we given enough of our time, money, and energy to a country "beside the place we vacationed"?
