Make Sense, Not War

Once again, America finds itself at war. Anyone who’s been watching cable news lately knows this to be true. No, I’m not referring to any impending military conflict with Iran, the ongoing dust up in Afghanistan, or any proposed intervention in Syria. But make no mistake, war has been declared… on women.

Grab you guns, ladies. It's go time!

For weeks, politicians and talking heads on the right have been making headlines with their less-than-modern opinions on abortion rights (they don’t like them) and women’s access to contraception (something else they don’t seem to be fond of, which seems odd given their stance on abortion), and female sexuality in general. And while some of the debate on these vagina-related issues has gotten downright vile (I’m looking in your direction, Mr. Limbaugh), I don’t think these verbal assaults necessarily constitute a declaration of war. As far as I can tell, there are no boots on the ground and there have been no causalities. Protecting a women’s right to choose and having access to affordable contraception are important issues, but no one is taking up arms on either side. This is simply a cultural debate taking place on ideological grounds. Unfortunately, that reality doesn’t boost ratings and it certainly doesn’t fit very well on a lower third chyron. So instead, the story has been packaged and sold as the “War on Women.”

Isn’t it time for the media and the political hacks they employ to stop declaring war on everything? How many conflicts can our sensitive nation endure? In addition to the very real battles our military personnel are engaged in overseas, America currently finds itself involved in a “War on Terror,” a “War on Christianity,” a “War on the Middle Class,” a “War on Christmas,” and, of course, a “War on Drugs,” which has been less a war and more a 30 year effort to put a lot more people in jail.

To rectify this semantic transgression, I propose multilateral talks between the major news outlets where they can discuss a cease fire on using the word “war” frivolously and unnecessarily during broadcasts. Perhaps a more responsible and nuanced term could be mutually agreed upon. Something like, “non-combative, ideological conflict” or “philosophical kerfuffle.” These new terms may not be sexy and they might not fire up a political base, but at least they’re intellectually honest. And isn’t that something we could use more of in our news coverage?

With this major media faux pas behind us, the 24-hour news networks can concentrate on their real job: over-hyping and over-covering the 2012 Presidential Election. After all, those unreasonably detailed, in-studio 3-D graphics aren’t going to produce themselves.

Warmest regards,
Mr. Sunshine