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Published December 16, 2012 by Martin Casper
Published December 16, 2012 by Martin Casper

Could Social Media Propagate Tragedy?

Social Media ImageIs it possible that along with the sensationalism of today’s media that social media is propagating violence and tragedies that are the workings of mankind?  Think about this as I present a somber snapshot of this week…

I am sitting here reflecting on the horrific tragedies of this week; ten dead in three separate incidents of violence in Chicago, 3 dead in a mall shooting in Portland, multiple shots fired in a Southern California mall, murder-suicide in the lobby of a Las Vegas hotel-casino and of course the horrific tragedy in Connecticut that took the lives of 26 people.  This does not take into account the numerous inner city acts of violence that happen on a daily basis.  Frighteningly tragic acts that words cannot adequately express!

Our society is morally bankrupt.  We live in a world of entitlement and “you owe me” attitudes.  There is very little personal accountability.  Greed and the “me first” attitudes are the focal points of our society.  People, through channels that the devil himself has personally devised, are creating every possible way to break down the moral fabric of our society.  We are truly living in end times.  Paul wrote in his second letter to Timothy, “But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: for men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power.  And from such people run away!” 2 Timothy 3:1-5.

Yesterday, my wife and I were attending church with relatives in a neighboring town.  It is a nice sized church filled with mostly retirees who live quiet lives.  We were there to celebrate with them a special Christmas program.  During the special music segment of the program, a man walked in, dressed in all black with his hair done in dreadlocks, and walked up to the front of the church.  He turned to face the audience then proceeded to point his fingers at his head in the form of a handgun.  He proceeded to take his fist and pretend to stuff it in his mouth.  He then said that “God loves you” and “it’s the Sabbath”.  Very quickly some men got up and gently escorted him out of the sanctuary and off the property.  We found out later that he made a statement on the way out that he was going to kill people.  The whole scenario was unnerving to say the least.

Media ImageIt seems very clear to me that when a tragedy of monumental proportions occurs, that the copycats come out of the closet.  Could it be that through means of the media that we are seeing these events propagated?  These individuals whose minds are so mentally deranged or demon possessed that they, “have to go out in a blaze of glory”, feel compelled to destroy the lives of as many people as possible prior to ending their own lives.  When this happens, whether through social media channels or the mainstream media, the villains are almost personified as some demonic hero.   We spend too much time analyzing these evil individuals.  We should be minimizing them.  Minimize their horrific acts…act as if they are irrelevant.  The majority of time should be spent attending to the needs of the victims, showing our compassion for them, imprinting their pictures all over the media as well as the blogosphere so that we will bring full circle that these people were individuals just like us, and like us they have friends and families who are devastated…who will never be the same.

Maybe it is time that we take a different approach with social media…one of compassion and healing.  Let’s turn this page into one of empowering love.  Make a difference.

In Success & Spiritual Empowerment…

The Empowered Entrepreneurial Magnets.

P.S. This is a message that I am sure resonates with all of you.  Make a difference today…share this with your friends and those who follow you on your social sites.

Categories: Leadership & Success, Social Media
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About Martin Casper

Social Media Marketing Strategist Providing Mentoring & Development To A Broad Spectrum Of Clientele. Strong Entrepreneurial Mindset And "Outside The Box" Thinker That Harnesses The Power Of Digital Marketing To Drive Multiple Income Streams. Currently Co-Authoring A Book On Digital Marketing. Provided Creative Social Media & Marketing Solutions To Real Estate Professionals While Building A Successful Real Estate Business for Realty One Group. Specialties: Internet Marketing l Social Media Marketing l Social Media Consulting & Management l Social Media Training l Digital Marketing l Blogging l Business Development Coaching l Personal & Corporate Branding l Web 2.0 | Real Estate | Distressed Properties | Commercial Real Estate Acquisitions | Vegan Lifestyles | Health & Fitness | Personal Empowerment. Martin has created his own unique style of helping others build an entrepreneurial lifestyle for themselves as Empowered Entrepreneurial Magnets. Martin is passionate about health and is very concerned about the lifestyles of Americans along with the growing health challenges they are facing. Martin is building a grass roots effort to change lives, one person at a time. Martin's organization, "Empowered 4 Life", is a platform that provides solutions to empower lives through core principles of diet, fitness, spiritual & emotional health. Martin challenges each of you to find out what you are passionate about and commit to embracing that passion fully. Become an Empowered Entrepreneurial Magnet. "By Empowering Others, You Will Empower Yourself".

More posts by Martin Casper

  • http://findingourwaynow.com/ Susan Cooper

    Very well said my friend. I SOOO agree with you that It is not the one who caused the pain that should be published but the victims. I am still having trouble with the why of all of this… Sad Sigh!

  • http://www.Empower2Go.com Martin Casper

    Yes, Susan…I am still overcome with a heavy heart as well…words cannot begin to express…

  • John Barton

    It is so sad to see all those prolific images of the Connecticut tragedy on tv. Personally I think that the media go over the top. We really need to sort out the route of this problem not somehow glorifying it in the minds of many people. Well written Martin and I only hope that the comments of President Obama will cause a major change to the American culture on the Gun Laws.

  • http://www.Empower2Go.com Martin Casper

    it is such a horrific tragedy, John. Words cannot express it. Thanks for your comments. Unfortunately, these kinds of incidents are not something that government can fix. They start with proper parenting. Thanks for commenting…always appreciate what you have to say.

  • Adrienne

    Amen to what you said here Martin and I couldn’t agree with you more.

    I quit watching the news over seven years ago because I’m sick and tired of hearing all about all the horrible stuff that takes place. Sure if there is some type of crisis happening then the news needs to let us know but sensationalizing all the crap that keep happening is just bringing more of it into our lives.

    I agree that by continuing to report about this is just asking for more trouble. The next one is going to want to see if they can “top” their record of how many they can kill. Is that what we really want?

    I bet if the news only reported all the good that was happening in our cities then you would definitely see more of that. More and more people are not watching the news as it is so bring them back around by sharing good instead of evil.

    Wonderful post Martin and thank you for bringing this to our attention.

    ~Adrienne

  • http://www.Empower2Go.com Martin Casper

    Thanks Adrienne…my wife and I just purchased a big screen TV. It is still in the box and we choose not to get cable or DSS…the news is just garbage sensationalism. Thanks.

  • Donna Merrill

    Agreed Martin! The media hypes up everything, especially violence. The tragedies keep coming and the media likes to blow it out of proportion giving the “would be” nuts a way to seek some sort of fame.
    I don’t watch the news because it just causes me to get depressed. However, when a crisis is happening like the recent shooting of those innocent children, I stay glued to the TV, I guess so I can form some kind of understanding of it.
    The story you told about the man coming into the services gave me the jitters.

    But hey, by your quote, we all have an understanding of what will happen. And in the end, we shall be “saved.”

    So, lets keep focusing on the “goodness” and be grateful that we have our family and friends and all that is.
    Donna

  • Dan Meyers

    Wow, that must’ve been very frightening when the guy walked in during your ceremony and did that. I never understand what makes people do these horrible things – and even the little horrible things like the guy did at your church. I agree that social media and th 24 hour new cycles have made things worst by always having this stuff in our face. It’s such a horrible tragedy, but I had to tune out the news the last couple of days just to keep sanity.

  • http://www.Empower2Go.com Martin Casper

    Well said, Donna. If we keep our eyes on Jesus and keep that connection with him, he will see us through to the end.

  • http://www.Empower2Go.com Martin Casper

    Thanks for your comments, Dan. Unfortunately, I think that we will see more and more of this sort of thing. People with troubled minds are always going to try and trump the previous tragedy…very unnerving to say the least.

  • http://www.patricia-weber.com Patricia Weber

    I’ve been noodling around something Mike Huckabee said. It’s along the lines of because we as a nation have become lost with a set of values – don’t get me going on THAT – we tend to be so “embracing” and have lost our footing in what’s right and what’s wrong. If we don’t get back to some kind of moral compass, all the laws won’t be anything but a fix. As people in a nation, we must stand up to things that are wrong, for example, how the media fixates on such incidents. How RIGHT is that? But I’m digressing. Touching post Martin. Thanks.

  • http://twitter.com/JeriWB Jeri Walker-Bickett

    Social media, while certainly playing a role in recent events, is by no means the main culprit. More needs to be done to get at the root of the problem, which revolves around offering better mental health care to those who so desperately need it.

  • http://www.Empower2Go.com Martin Casper

    Thanks Patricia. You are correct on your insights. We are morally bankrupt and from what I see, the majority of this nation do not want to come back from the edge of the abyss.

  • http://www.Empower2Go.com Martin Casper

    You are correct, Jeri. Just like gun ownership is not the problem and I am not a gun owner. Until we get our noodles around more help for those with mental issues, parents taking a greater responsibility with raising their kids in a respectful way and the court system being more harsh on criminals, we will not improve.

  • http://www.facebook.com/viola.tam.businessmum Viola Tam

    Hi Martin,

    Interesting point about minimizing those horrific acts…’act as if they are
    irrelevant’! How that could be done? My believe is that we focus our
    attention and energy on the positives. You are right – about helping the
    victims, showing our compassion for them and filling the media with those
    positives images.

    The world needs leaders! Dani Johnson is one of my most admired mentors – from
    homeless to millionaire! She is giving back and leading others to be more
    forgiving, giving and compassionate!

    We need more leaders in the social media arena. The Ted show is a great
    initiative. I’d like to share this with you and your readers: http://www.youtube.com/user/tedtalksdirector

    Viola The Business Mum

  • http://www.Empower2Go.com Martin Casper

    Thanks Viola, your comments are in line with my point. We need to treat the criminal as if they are irrelevant and minimize the dramatic coverage of them. The attention needs to be on the compassion toward the victims and helping them through their trauma. All too often media sources almost elevate the criminal to a high state and guess what…other criminals are watching and that more often than not spurs them on to more horrific crimes than their predecessors.