(The Beacon)
By Caitlin Yilek, Staff Commentary -- The Beacon
Several years ago, I traded an icy spring break in Minnesota for a vacation of warmth in Tucson, Ariz. Not only was the Tucson sun full of warmth, but so too were the people. Therefore, it came of great surprise to me when I heard the tragic news of the shooting that wounded U.S. Representative Gabrielle Giffords and also wounded and killed many others at a Safeway, of all places.
Though this event was heartbreaking and senseless, I believe the media drifted out of control in their blame of this attack. Soon after this horrific act of violence, the media made Sarah Palin a scapegoat because of the map she created with crosshairs over certain districts, including Congresswoman Giffords' district. Although I am not a Palin supporter, besides loving her TV show "Sarah Palin's Alaska," I believe the fault should not lie on anyone except the person who pulled the trigger, Jared Loughner.
In instances like this regrettable event, I am a firm believer that blame should be placed only on the attacker and any accomplices. However, our society is choosing to target Palin in the same way that she targeted certain districts. We are supposed to be a united nation, yet our actions are hypocritical. It appears as though the media are more concerned with blaming Palin rather than Loughner and they have forgotten about the innocent lives that were taken, the mourning families and the individuals still fighting for their lives.
While the aftermath created by the media was a futile attempt to honor the victims, Obama reminded us we cannot use this tragedy as one more occasion to turn on one another. Though it is difficult to understand the amount of pain the people who are involved are feeling, I have hopes the U.S. will rise above this difficult time as soon as we stand united rather than against one another.
Caitlin Yilek is a junior German and Spanish studies major she can be contacted at yilek12@up.edu
