7/23/2019 ICW 7

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ICW #7

The idea that the press stages events is fascinating to me, but not surprising. The media is

all about sensationalism, and it really always has been. I had ever really thought about pseudo-

events, but the concept maes sense.

The !lanned !arenthood debate happening right now over that highly edited video isprobably the most pressing pseudo-event today. It has a whole country up in arms against a

women"s health center that does so much more than abortions. y father is convinced that

!lanned !arenthood is only around to let $young girls have se% without conse&uences' (because

young boys deserve to have se% )ust because they can"t get pregnant* +ay and he believes that

all they do is abortions. The media has him convinced that !lanned !arenthood doesn"t do

anything else, when they provide birth control, mammograms, and plenty of other health related

things to women who can"t afford them (they also provide condoms to men who need them, as

well, but no one is up in arms about that. It infuriates me that one of the number one topics for

the epublican presidential candidates is defunding !lanned !arenthood.

I also witnessed a pseudo-event when I was in !aris over the summer. There was a $riot'

happening right outside my hotel, complete with soldiersofficers marching in uniform around

the /a 0publi&ue arrondissement. 1ut, despite the $riot' my grandma and I never e%perienced

any trouble getting around !aris. The news was there, filming the 2rench military e%erting their

power over the rioters 3 while I dran wine and en)oyed a cheese plate across the street at Caf0

0publi&ue.

I feel that I shouldbe offended, or at least upset, by the e%istence of pseudo-events, but

I"ve gotten so used to the media manipulating everything that I don"t really care anymore. They

e%ist. They aren"t going to stop e%isting any time soon, and I have to live with them.