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| A New Kind Of Reality Television |
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| Last Thursday as passengers were riding an Israeli bus, Egged Number 11, a suicide bomber attacked, killing himself and eleven others, and injuring dozens more. The bombing itself was hardly different from similar attacks, but there was something unique about this one - it was the first time the Israeli government allowed a video of the carnage and gore to be viewed by the public, and I applaud them for doing this. In fact, I think every single American man, woman, and child should see this video to remind us what it is we are fighting to stop. |
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| The video was recorded by 45-year-old Ilan Sztulman, who is the head of visual productions for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Israel, and it is extremely graphic, often showing images of severed limbs and mutilated corpses amidst the wreckage of what is left of the bus, as well as the area surrounding the bus. When viewing the video, one can see just how quick a normal, run-of-the-mill day can turn into a nightmare: a passenger's cell phone is seen lying on the ground; a yarmulke, or Jewish skull-cap, has been tossed by the blast onto the street; and folders and papers, perhaps from a businessman or a student, litter the road. But almost as sickening as these images, however, are the people in this very country that remain complacent and detached from it. |
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| I wonder how many people still think about Sept. 11, 2001, and remember the horror we experienced on that day? While those attacks were considerably larger than most of the Israeli attacks by Palestinian suicide bombers, for a moment we saw what our ally seems to see on a daily basis. And here, too, were numerous videos that have long since been removed from the airwaves, but why? Is it not important for Americans to remember what occurred that day? Can the public stomach viewing those events again? I think it is necessary to show them on television on a regular basis to remind the people why it is we are fighting terrorism in the first place. |
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| Last month, the Israeli ambassador to Sweden was kicked out of a Stockholm museum after vandalizing an "art exhibit" on display. While I don't quite agree with the actions the ambassador took, I do agree with his reasoning for doing so - the gross complacency and glorification of terrorism demonstrated by the creators of the piece. The work, entitled "Snow White," depicted a toy boat in a pool of red water, the boat's sail bearing a picture of Hanadi Jaradat, the woman suicide bomber who killed 21 Israelis in Haifi last October. After being extracted from the museum, the Israeli ambassador told reporters that he was not only insulted but that he "could not remain indifferent to such an obscene misrepresentation of reality." After seeing the recent video of the aftermath of last Thursday's bombing, one quickly realizes how true the ambassador's statement really was - this exhibit does paint a sickening distortion of reality, and shows no sympathy for the victims or their families. In fact, the exhibit seems to justify what Jaradat and other suicide bombers do to eliminate their "problem," and the piece even appears to be sympathetic to "the cause." |
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| I hope what the Israeli government did in releasing that video starts a new trend and begins to open up peoples' eyes as to what is really going on. I think videos like this, as well as footage of Sept. 11, 2001, and Daniel Pearl's execution by terrorists should be shown on nightly newscasts not only to strike a chord with viewers and remind them that the war on terrorism is far from over, but to educate. To view the video, go to the Israeli Foreign Ministry's Web site at http://www.mfa.gov.il, and see for yourself how eye-opening reality can be. |
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Copyright Gerry Wachovsky, 2004, and Yahoo! Inc. All rights reserved. |
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Letters To The Editor Regarding This Article: |
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New Dog, Old Tricks |
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(from February 11, 2004) |
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Weak Sources |
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(from February 11, 2004) |
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