Why some Americans still don't get it

During my last trip to the US, I've had several conversations with many bright American individuals. People I met in gala dinners, while sun bathing around the pool or waiting for my turn on the amateur golf course. They all had lots of questions and most of the conversations were about "where did we (Americans) go wrong in Iraq" and "What the hell is happening in Lebanon?"

Good news is that most of the people I talked to -lawyers, IT execs, entrepreneurs ...etc, made is clear to me that non of them take any US based TV news station seriously. Almost all of them said it out in the open: "if I want a proper (credible) news story, the last thing I wanna watch is Fox or CNN."

I had a first hand experience to that notion. When i arrived to San Francisco on July 29th, it was the peak of the Israeli offensive on Lebanon and i was dying to get to a TV to know what was going on. When I checked into my hotel room, the first thing i did was reaching for the remote and FOX NEWS what the first station that came on.

I may sound a bit overdramatic here, but honestly that was what happened: It took me about five minutes to comprehend wha was going on. The language being used, the type of reports being aired, the coverage that was running ... it was a surreal moment.

I mean, I was this-close of losing any kind of compassion to what is happening to the Lebanese... almost made me feel like they deserve what they are getting AND Israel is plainly defending itself!!

I snapped out of it and I started flipping channels. Almost every other news station was following the same mantra. I switched the TV off and decided its better to hit the shower to wash off that 36hr long flight.

That same evening, "It could be a one-off thing" I was telling myself, " Or maybe I’ll just stick to CNN. I know CNN. I watch it all the time back home. It can't be that bad." Here is the thing. In the hotel, I was watching Cable CNN, not the International one we get here. It doesn't matter what logo was on the corner of the screen, it was all the same thing.

But the thing that was so shocking is that for the following 4 or 5 days, there were numerous reports, feature shows and survivor interviews on the US Marines Barracks bombing incident that took place in Beirut over 20 years ago. Those stories kept running on and on and on for days, in what is likely an attempt to make sure viewers who didn't see them in the morning, they will at night.

The unfortunate Marines barracks bombing incident happened in October '83... fair enough.. but what the occasion here? Why are they reminding people about it now? Its not the annual anniversary... There are no, presumably, American military engagement in what's happening in lebanon now... What the hell?

Any idiot can see thru it. Those stations where actually driving an anti-anything-lebanese campaign. It was disgustingly unbelievable.

I wasn't the only one who felt that way. This experience was a breakfast topic with my Lebanese friends for the first 4 or 5 days of my trip. After that, we simply stopped watching Cable TV and stuck to online international new sources.

It all made sense when I came across saw this post by my friend Buj.

The video link in Buj's post is more or less a user;s guide for the The Israeli Media and PR Strategy for Dummies. The video is about 1 hr long and one might need to have broadband to watch it. But do take that hour as it will really change your perspective and give you a better understanding why the majority of avarage americans on the street still don't fucking get it.