News of the world

Last week a young friend asked me the epic, “What’s this world coming to” question. How the H E double bench dips would I know if the world is coming to anything or anywhere. But he was concerned and, from the look on his face, he wanted an answer.

At the time we just happened to be watching television news and shaking our heads over the downfall of News of the World and all of the self-righteous shenanigans and posturing of Rupert Murdoch. In 2004, the Centre for American Progress described Rupert Murdoch as Murdoch the war monger and Murdoch the intimidator and Murdoch the defender of oppressive regimes, and on and on.

Indeed, we obviously knew it way back then, but it took seven years to actually do something. That’s what the world came to last week. The “world” came to the conclusion that Mr. Rupert Murdoch isn’t a nice man and he surrounded himself with people who would stop at nothing, it seems, to break a news story.

It seems there never has been a time when we could pick up a newspaper or newsmagazine or listen to the radio or watch broadcast news and completely believe the headlines. Geez, I hope there might have been a time when there wasn’t a bias—good or bad, liberal or conservative, right or wrong, scrupulous or not so much—in a news publication? But I doubt it. Maybe my young friend should have asked me, “Where is the world headed this week?”

My young friend, himself a parent, then asked me if I could remember a time when I c o m p l e t e l y trusted authority figures. His concern was for his own children. What if they are being raised in a world where there could never be trust or respect for authority? How do you raise a child to have respect for a doctor, a teacher, a parish priest, a police officer, a judge or, heck, a publisher of the news if, as a parent, you don’t feel it?

I could only smile and say I’ve always been a skeptical kinda gal who was raised by folks who asked where the “attached strings” were hiding. My folks came to Canada for a better life, but they came from countries where “authority figures” weren’t always on their best behaviour or, for that matter, trustworthy. Their childhoods had been filled with unscrupulous “authority” figures.As new Canadians, my parents were here for a better life and, when the time came, wanted the best for their children. They wanted us to show respect for others, including the people of authority in our lives. If we had a problem, we were expected to be respectful and trust our parents to take care of the issue.

If my parents were alive today, they wouldn’t be a bit surprised by the likes of the Rupert Murdochs of the world. Had Rupert Murdoch dropped by for coffee and cake, my parents would have expected us to treat him with a soupçon of respect. Somewhere out of earshot, Mr. Murdoch would have been told a return visit wouldn’t be anticipated nor welcome.The world has headed in a more direct direction. My parents would have shown Mr. Murdoch respect. I would have been heavy on the self-respect and not let the likes of him into my home.

My point is, and I do have one, I’m not going to rattle on about Rupert Murdoch. But, I am sure Mr. Murdoch has a “side” to his story and I’ll just bet “lack of respect for others” is at its foundation.

I did tell my young friend the question of where the world is headed is in our hands and the best thing he can do for his children is to be compassionate and loving and teach them self-respect.

theresa@wellingtontimes.ca