FOCUS! (FYI this is not about writing!)

I would introduce myself, but who I am is as unimportant to this column as knowing which on-air personality is at your favorite radio station’s live remote. I’m not saying I’m not important, because my wife would say otherwise. I am saying that the message is more important than the messenger. This column is for the local and national events that hit home for us on a community, state and personal level. It should be about the items that you deem important and most importantly, it should be local. What is a strong community without a strong community column?

My focus today is asking you what our focus should be. Should it be on the man or woman behind the column? Not to sound rude, but there are search engines to find out these things. Email addresses are also great ways to satiate your curiosity.

Our focus can sometimes be blurred by what I like to call the Media Shell Game. With few exceptions like the Baby Briana case where the name of the victim is, and should be remembered, we have a tendency to focus on the person or persons committing whatever heinous act that we see in the media. We should be focusing the victims.

Last Wednesday’s Las Cruces Sun News featured a story on Heather Abbott. Who? Heather Abbott lost part of her leg as a result of the Boston Marathon bombing. 8-old Martin Richard, 29-year old Kyrstle Campbell, graduate student Lu Lingzi, and MIT officer Shawn Collier. All killed. Over 250 injured. Maybe the national media needs to take a few lessons from local media. Sandy Hook. The Boston Marathon bombing. Heck, even 9-11! We see too much about the antagonists and not enough about those left injured or dead by acts of violence. The victims aren’t always just the people lost to us. What about the families and loved ones who have lost the one thing in life that is irreplaceable.

If you have had a loved one taken from you in an act of violence, I know that the last thing you want to see plastered all over the television is the person or persons responsible. A constant reminder that the villain gets to become infamous while we mourn a life that should have never been taken. The antagonist gets to be a star with possible movie deals and a reality show. Remember Nancy Kerrigan? Her one timer attacker now has a cushy job on a TRUTV show about stupid criminals. A constant paycheck is how we reward the wicked, and they know it. Another killer was the subject of a TV movie starring Mark Harmon. Can you name one of his victims? The killer not Harmon. Even fictional serial killers are glorified now with new TV shows featuring characters from Psycho and Silence of the Lambs. Let’s not forget the popular Showtime series that has even sucked me into the world of a likable killer.

When we as a society stop giving in to our dark side, then maybe the villains’ fame will end. If you’ve noticed I haven’t mentioned even one of the names of any of these killers, fictional or otherwise. Not to sound rude, but there are search engines to find out these things.