What's the Rest of the Story?

I seem to have a need for more details than most. Whenever someone tells me a story, I begin asking questions. "What was the Uncle's name?" "What happened to the dog?" "So what happened after that?" My questions are often greeted with that grimacing look and a snarky, "I don't know?" Then I know I've apparently asked inappropriate or unnecessary questions. I don't mean to be digging for minute details, these are questions that immediately pop into my mind from genuine interest that I feel are important to the story.

I was watching the news -briefly-this morning when this story came on. The newscaster tells of an 8 year old boy who was playing with friends in his front yard when he was shot in the stomach. He was taken to the hospital where the bullet was removed. He is expected to make a recovery. Then she moves to the next story. Are you satisfied with this information? Are you thinking, "What a good job that newscaster has done! I feel fully informed." Because I'm thinking, "Was there a gang fight that broke out down the street and this little boy got caught in the crossfire? Was it a drug trade gone bad?" I'm assuming the 8 year old wasn't shot purposefully by one of the friends he was playing with in the front yard over a game of marbles gone wrong. But I don't know, do I?! This news wasn't meant to inform the community on what type of violent crimes are occurring and why, or what social, economic, of family issues are involved in these frequently occurring situations in so arming the general public with the knowledge of their fellow violent citizens in order to have an intellectual conversation about what the real problems are and perhaps how to help.

No, all this newscast wants you to hear is "Eight year old shot!" They want an uninformed, enraged public response. An angry ignorant public is not ideal. But how much do we or can we care anymore hearing these quick flashes that say "killed, shot, died, child, teen, gang?" Are we not hardened to it? Do we not just file this story (or rather quick flash of limited information) into the category of "Another kid got shot on the Southside" or perhaps some people may hear "Another black kid shot another black kid." Could this newscast actually end up being filed as "Don't go to the Southside and I'll be fine."

Why was this little 8 year old shot? If you're going to tell a story, commit to it or don't bring it up. Watching the news is like when someone starts to tell you a story and then when your interest has peeked, they say, "Oh, nevermind."