Anderson Coooper

I think everyone needs to take a breath. Yes, what's going on in Cairo and the rest of the Middle East is horrible and hopefully can be resolved soon with as little bloodshed as possible. Tunisia was the first child in the politcal school yard to stand up to the governmental bullies and say "*uck you." It's nice to see that they have set such an inspiring example of how to say "I'm tired, and I'm not going to take it any more." But in the face of such tragedy, we all have different ways of dealing with the nervousness and anxiety we all inevitibly feel being constantly bombarded by media pictures of it all. Why are we so quick to pounce on one persons' comment when we are so accepting of others who are doing the same thing, only under the guise of "Responsible Reporting"

Look at Anderson Cooper, how he has boosted his popularity by putting himself right in the middle of it all where he had no business being in the first place. He ended up in a violent and potentially deadly situation for no other reason than to boost his own ratings. He gets attacked and all of a sudden, the story shifts from the legitimate plight of a country, to his brush with death. But I'm sure his ratings went through the roof.

Is there any excuse for such ill-timed utterances, no but we all do it. And let's face it, if it wasn't for tragedy, there would be no need for them. In times like these, everyone is in a hurry to get their opinions and their voices heard. Everyone has to make sure that their comments are the best ones, the ones more people will agree with so they can look the best in the eyes of a captivated audience. Or simply the one that's the most talked about so those who feel forgotten can feel relevant again.

Weather or not you approve of what is said by someone in the media or simply in pubic, we are all going to talk about it, we're all going to voice our opinions about it, either simply to eachother or through social media such as this. Either way it got you talking about "him". Just like Anderson Cooper, your focus has shifted from what is happening to the people in Cairo, to what happened to him. And now your focus has shifted again to what Mr. Cole has said. Even on this page, your focus will shift again from the plight of a people, to your opinions of what others have said or even what I've said.

We're all guilty of ill-spoken words, it doesn't excuse it, but let's not put ourselves above others when we know at some point or another, we've all done it. "Need another seven astronauts", tasteless, yes, but there it is. It's easy to act offended, it's easy to type viscious words in rebuttlal, but behind the computer screen, or in private how many of you laughed. How many of you repeated it. Finding humour in the face of tragedy isn't a bad thing. It doesn't make you an *ss"ole, your personality in general does that, daily actions are what determine who you are not temporary lack of judgement. Very few can stand up and say they are guilt free of bad judgement.

If we are so ready to make our voices and opinions heard, let's put the persecution where it belongs and support the people of Cairo. The court of public opinion can be a powerful tool, let's use it properly.