Chaos, violence fueled by cameras and political hate-mongers
Saturday I was in Washington, taking in the wonders of our great nation. Not in the museums or galleries, but by people-watching on the National Mall.
Half of the mall was taken up by the Stonewall Sports kickball tournament, an LBTGQ event. This was serious business for about 100 teams from across the country, with umpires calling balls and strikes, and bunch of competitive players who looked like they just walked off their university's soccer field.
The other half was taken up by "Together 2016" a national religious gathering of an estimated 250,000 people.
And guess what?
There were no picket signs or spit invectives. It was just a mass of people, getting along, mixing together at the food trucks along mall streets.
At the evangelical summit, whites, blacks, browns, and every other variety of human shade were camped out in lawn chairs or on blankets. English and other languages filled the air.
In this way, the crowd was as uniquely American as the street names where the hundreds of buses that brought them to Washington from all over the country were lined up. Constitution, Independence, Jefferson, Madison welcomed all, like some straight and paved version of the Statue of Liberty.
You'd think the gathering of a quarter-million people would draw some media attention.
But Google "Together 2016" and you won't find coverage by a major news agency, except the Washington Post. The only cameras were handhelds, as the crowd shot selfies and videos. No networks, no CNN, no Fox News.
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There is a lot of talk these days about "conversations" this country must have, again, in the aftermath of police executions and excessive force deaths of black men. There is talk about telling the truths, and causes, of the nations' racial and political divides, to beat back the fear and hatred.
The media should be part of that conversation because, since we're telling truths, those of us in the media should seriously begin to ask ourselves about our role in ratcheting up fear and hatred. We should ask ourselves about our contribution to the chaos.
Media is not a cartel. It's not a one-headed monster. It's more like a bunch of dogs, sniffing each other, chasing tails in the park. That metaphor is purposeful, by the way. With a great big world out there, much of the media chooses to focus on the stink and stay in its tight circle.
News programs have become nothing but a bunch talking-head attack dogs, tearing apart our leaders - and our commonality -- like a pieces of raw meat for our entertainment and their own hubris. Yesterday it was Melania Trump's turn in the barrel, 24/7, or damn near.
Much of the media exploit our differences, rather than explore our similarities.
It's true. This is why a harmonious gathering of a few hundred thousand people on the Washington Mall is dismissed. But bring out a few dozen people for "Black Lives Matter" or "Dump Trump" and the microwave trucks are lined up the street. You know it. I know it.
"Together 2016" was described in the scant media reports as an "Evangelical Christian" event, therefore disqualified as worthy of coverage. That's the world we live in. Let's not pretend otherwise.
But calling this gathering a solely Christian event is like saying "Black Lives Matter" is a black-only event.
It attracted religious people of many types. I saw a Jewish tent, a Muslim presence, and contingents of Catholics.
One large group of buses came from the "Twelve Tribes," an international anti-denominational group of Old Testament fundamentalists who live communally. To call them hippies is accurate only on their surface appearance. But they were out in force, distributing pamphlets and bottles of cold water with equal generosity. Google them. They're a heckuva story, born out of the turbulent times of the early '70s. But no one was there to put them on camera or to tell their story of survival by rejecting modern chaos.
Chaos is a word that is increasingly synonymous with the presence of cameras. Would the protests in Ferguson and Baltimore have turned violent if the cameras backed off? Are we seeing raw emotion, or performance art?
This is nothing new. Go back to Marshall McLuhan and his 1964 book "Understanding Media: The Extensions of Man." It's where the term "the medium is the message" became universal. It is something every thinking person should be aware of when they watch what much of the media decides is news.
Last weekend, there was a very peaceful and orderly "Black Lives Matter" protest in Newark. About 150 people marched from Penn Station up Market Street as police controlled traffic. At the end, they thanked police and posed for pictures. It left me feeling good, almost optimistic.
Then a funny thing happened. The rally started at noon, but there was some confusion on social media, so the TV cameras didn't get there until it was almost over three hours later. That's when a fraction of the group gathered tight around the cameras. Showtime.
You know the rest. Screaming. Hyped-up anger. Narcissistic performance in the Age of Narcissism.
The presence of the cameras changed the atmosphere. That's the truth. It would almost be comical if the ramifications weren't so awful. More anger. More fear. More hate. More violence.
And so, here we are. Ready for a conversation? Doubtful. The media deflects blame. It is never circumspect. So we continue to get the same old song and dance, no matter how much damage it does to the national psyche. And we wonder why people are tuning the news out.
Mark Di Ionno may be reached at mdiionno@starledger.com. Follow The Star-Ledger on Twitter @StarLedger and find us on Facebook.