This American Life

great job!

Amazing! I just read about half of your comments, and it didn't occur to a single ONE of you to even mentioned the naked truth about kids (and adults as well) just plain being potentially cruel to each other. There ARE kids who break up fights and others who don't, there are kids who go and tell and teachers who interrupt the fight, and some don't. The camera is a useful analogy that links the issue to our media society, period. It's just a point of view to get you going, and it did!

Oh, I "got it" I just think what "it" is, is absolute bullshit. The camera has NOTHING to do with the way the people are reacting.

you are fucking stupid actually, and you missed the point.

what is the song in the background ?
:}

I don't know if I would say that this is only an American problem; people do this all over the world. I'm especially thinking of Asia, but it happens anywhere someone has a camera phone.

That said, it is a sad problem. I don't know what we can really do about it though...

You really didn't get it, did you? It's not about watching a fight dillweed, it's about the idea of 'spectacle' in the media and what media actually is. By the way you're a retarded homo.

People have been lead to believe that everything is a show. A show for YOU. A show for you to watch, nothing really happens to you.......until it does....

Life has been made a thing to watch go by and to not at all be a real part of. All the things that are real important, the things that shape our lives go floating past and we just simply say "Oh look what's happening now.....my freedom is being trampled on....etc etc" Not enough people see its critical to participate.

very interesting... is there something about media that makes one a more likely bystander? if it gives you a sense of "purpose" - documenting the scene - that is different than the purpose you should feel - stopping the violence, then i'd say yes....

being a celebrated eyewitness takes no real effort. it's fun and fashionable to be a tragi-porn groupie.

ordinary people doing the right thing on a daily basis doesn't get the ratings.

It's not the media, per se, I think.
Leonardo da Vinci could have painted Mona Lisa's Armpit but he selected something else.
He loved life and respected certain virtues, so naturally he chose what he chose on that basis.
The word 'pimp' wasn't always synonymous with 'fashionable', either.