Power of Perception

As the cold sun rises, I find myself doing something odd -- working a morning shift! I started my usual routine of coffee, oatmeal, and vitamins just a few hours early today. If you're one of those that wake up at 4:30am to get to work, yet you are a night owl, then you feel my pain.

On the way to work this morning, I dropped my friend off so he could catch an early flight back to Chicago. I remember passing up this white minivan on the interstate and loud popping sounds came from its tailpipe. After a recent rash of random highway shootings here in the Dallas area, that certainly made me and my friend skip a heartbeat or two.

I'm kinda allergic to bullets, and being shot is probably second to last on my list of desired ways to die -- with drowning being dead last. I gripped the steering wheel tightly and wondered why it seemed like these freeway shootings were suddenly sprouting up all over the Dallas area. I mean, I'm sure they happen from time to time - and many go unnoticed. But what happens when they DO land on the news?

Does a full page article in a newspaper, or 15 seconds of fame on the TV motivate would-be criminals to take the plunge into stardom? What effect does pictures (like the one above from freedigitalphotos.net) of a homeless, begging man have on those who see them? If the man in the picture was Caucasian, would we look at the picture and feel the same way about what we are seeing? What if the subject in the picture was a female? A child? A drag queen? It's amazing how much power the media has over us, and its tendency to sensationalize events could conceivably contribute to many negative aspects of our society.

Perception is a bitch, ain't it?