6 of 52: The Few Times I Like Media

Sometimes I hate media. That's a lie. I almost always hate media. Chris and I saw two reporters from NBC at the corner of Fullerton and Sheffield. They were questioning a woman about Lincoln Park and of course all I heard was irrelevant shit coming out of her mouth. Chris and I waited at the light intentionally so we could go next but they already turned around. I was pissed because I actually wanted to say something insightful. It seems as if whenever you watch T.V. or hit up Yahoo or something all the stories are worthless or depressing. And it’s not like you can get away from it. We live in a propaganda based world, and there’s no way around it.

I try and avoid the news because it is surrounded with animosity and problems. Not once in five years have I seen news regarding, War in Darfur, Poverty in India, Child Prostitution in Russia, Communism in China, or even current reports on the non-profit charity Redcross. Instead I see drug busts, corrupt politicians and Chris Brown with iron fists. I love sports so if I watch T.V. it’s always on ESPN Sportcenter.

And no I don’t like seeing reports on 150 players who ALL used steroids, especially one of the best players in the game getting paid more then anyone else… to cheat. Or an Olympic champion who is an idol for many kids, who supposedly is a class above the rest, smoking a bong. But this is America. And they only care about America.

So I like when I see a feel-good story. Like the one I saw today about Clemson freshman guard Tanner Smith who used all of his money to give tote help bags to teens with cancer. No, he’s not the only person who does this, but just the fact that he can, inspires me.

There are a number of historic philosophers in history, but honestly none of them would have been heard if they were just regular people. Aristotle came from a family that was one of Greece's wealthiest. Sure his thoughts were great, but nobody would have ever listened if he wasn’t a “somebody.” It’s kind of sad but for the most part you need to have connections or money to be heard.

That’s why I think people in positions of power have an ethical responsibility to not only ‘not mess up’, but to help others. Tanner Smith is no superstar to anyone who watches basketball, but at 9 he only had 3 wishes.

• Play pro ball
• Get a Dog
• Make kids with Cancer Laugh

I don’t know about you but I’ve never met a nine year old who’d think of that third wish. This is why it’s a crying shame that there are not more people like him.

I always wonder why people with money are so vain and selfish. It starts off good, with most stars keeping their ego and slowly dwindles away resulting in them bitching out one of their colleagues for “stepping in front of him.” I always tell myself that if I ever had that much money I’d never turn into one of them. But who knows?

That’s why I find certain people admirable, like Bill Gates, Tiger Woods, Tim Tebow, Oprah Winfrey and especially Warren Buffet, who donated $43.5 Billion last year !!!! That’s what I want to see on the news. I don’t need some guy talking about change, I want to see people making a difference. If I wasn’t so broke I’d love to go to impoverished areas and help people enjoy a higher standard of living.

So I don’t care if Tanner Smith averages 3 points a game for the rest of his career. I have a tremendous amount of respect for someone who can do something like that. That makes him a Superstar.