by Daniel Nardini
Do any of you remember reading about Peru again being named the best place for culinary food this year by the World Travel Awards? Do any of you remember reading about 40 people being killed in a bus accident in north-west Argentina? As tragic as it is, I have not seen any information about this in the U.S. news. Do any of you remember reading about Bolivian President Evo Morales wanting to change the Bolivian constitution so he can run again as president? The answer is most probably no. Not surprising since most of the U.S. newsmedia seems all too interested in ISIS, what is happening in the Middle East, the ISIS inspired attacks in Paris, France, and elsewhere in Europe. Then there was the ISIS inspired attack by that couple in San Bernardino, California, that seems to have many Americans on edge. While I am not saying these news items are not significant, it seems that the U.S. newsmedia cares nothing else for informing Americans about our world and about the continent we live on.
But I guess this is not shocking because the U.S. newsmedia seems more interested in shocking, scaring and making Americans feel not-so-secure and try to sell sensationalist material to make a profit. Putting news into context is something a lot of the U.S. newsmedia does not seem interested in. More than that, the U.S. newsmedia does not seem interested in trying to present a more whole view image of the world. And what is so sad is that the U.S. newsmedia does not seem interested in saying ANYTHING about the continent we live on—the Americas. So it is not surprising that we do not hear about what is happening in Peru, what is happening in Argentina, and what is happening in Bolivia. It is as if these countries do not exist. It seems that the U.S. newsmedia is too limited, too simplistic, and too narrow-minded in its approach. This is an extremely sad reality that the U.S. newsmedia has built for itself. Yes, there are many, many things happening in the Americas, happening on the continent we are living on. But the U.S. newsmedia seems to have no interest in the countries on the same continent we live on, and what is happening in countries like Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, etc.
This is why too many Americans know little to virtually nothing about one of our neighbors Mexico. This is why Republican candidate Donald Trump is able to feed on American fears about Mexicans, Guatemalans, Salvadorans, Hondurans, and other immigrants from Central and South America. The less we know about what is happening in the Americas, the less we understand the very peoples that the United States interacts with in trade, people-to-people contact, and the conditions in so many countries in the Americas. If the U.S. newsmedia started to take an Americas first approach, we might see a far larger world than we do, and a far more complex reality than we understand of the world we live in now. Well, I do not see this happening anytime soon, and so too many Americans will remain in a state of insecurity and not understand the Americas and the world in general we live in.
An Americas First Approach
by Daniel Nardini
Do any of you remember reading about Peru again being named the best place for culinary food this year by the World Travel Awards? Do any of you remember reading about 40 people being killed in a bus accident in north-west Argentina? As tragic as it is, I have not seen any information about this in the U.S. news. Do any of you remember reading about Bolivian President Evo Morales wanting to change the Bolivian constitution so he can run again as president? The answer is most probably no. Not surprising since most of the U.S. newsmedia seems all too interested in ISIS, what is happening in the Middle East, the ISIS inspired attacks in Paris, France, and elsewhere in Europe. Then there was the ISIS inspired attack by that couple in San Bernardino, California, that seems to have many Americans on edge. While I am not saying these news items are not significant, it seems that the U.S. newsmedia cares nothing else for informing Americans about our world and about the continent we live on.
But I guess this is not shocking because the U.S. newsmedia seems more interested in shocking, scaring and making Americans feel not-so-secure and try to sell sensationalist material to make a profit. Putting news into context is something a lot of the U.S. newsmedia does not seem interested in. More than that, the U.S. newsmedia does not seem interested in trying to present a more whole view image of the world. And what is so sad is that the U.S. newsmedia does not seem interested in saying ANYTHING about the continent we live on—the Americas. So it is not surprising that we do not hear about what is happening in Peru, what is happening in Argentina, and what is happening in Bolivia. It is as if these countries do not exist. It seems that the U.S. newsmedia is too limited, too simplistic, and too narrow-minded in its approach. This is an extremely sad reality that the U.S. newsmedia has built for itself. Yes, there are many, many things happening in the Americas, happening on the continent we are living on. But the U.S. newsmedia seems to have no interest in the countries on the same continent we live on, and what is happening in countries like Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, etc.
This is why too many Americans know little to virtually nothing about one of our neighbors Mexico. This is why Republican candidate Donald Trump is able to feed on American fears about Mexicans, Guatemalans, Salvadorans, Hondurans, and other immigrants from Central and South America. The less we know about what is happening in the Americas, the less we understand the very peoples that the United States interacts with in trade, people-to-people contact, and the conditions in so many countries in the Americas. If the U.S. newsmedia started to take an Americas first approach, we might see a far larger world than we do, and a far more complex reality than we understand of the world we live in now. Well, I do not see this happening anytime soon, and so too many Americans will remain in a state of insecurity and not understand the Americas and the world in general we live in.