▶ Your Answer :
In contemporary global society, news media has the capability to spread any news instantly and worldwide. With the increased access to information that resulted in shorter attention spans, the public has become numb to most news but the most provocative ones among the myriads that the media outlets transmit every second. In this context, the claim that scandals bring public attention in the way that no single individual could is reasonably justified. However, since the nature of scandals is based on provocation, not depth of research, insights, or compassion, this essay will argue that the claim is only partially valid.
Admittedly, scandals form an effective rhetoric that would catch public’s attention in a matchlessly efficient way. For example, Edward Snowden revealed one of the most confidential information regarding federal surveillance in a highly scandalous manner. The heated debate subsequently ensued as his revelation brought about much contention as to whether the federal government’s surveillance is justified under the banner of national security. Calling for true individual freedom and privacy, many concerned parties vehemently protested. Surely this much attention and discussion would have been impossible without the effective rhetoric and rippling effects only scandals can cause.
However, it is highly debatable as to how much actual changes scandals can bring about. In the aforementioned case of national surveillance, the federal government has not shown any efforts or will to alter its policy on an effective level but to pacify its protesters. With the recently built mega-server station in Utah to store all the collected information from phone calls, private texts and digital correspondences, the actual change does not appear to occur any time soon. As the public attention hops from one scandal to another, the likeliness of substantial reforms diminishes. It is educated awareness, not provocation caused by scandals, that brings about effective changes and translate into social action.
Furthermore, in some cases, scandals even disguise actual problems by misleading the public attention on provocative subject matters. For example, a recent article by on New York Times by Nicholas Kristof incurred heated debate on racism in America. He argued that the case of the Asian Americans, the so-called model minority, cannot be used as a counter-example to blame other minorities for their lack of work ethics and familiar ties. It was the Asian American society, however, that most vehemently protested his argument as the article reinforced widely-held misconception regarding Asian Americans as the model minority, which in turn disguises poverty and discrimination many Asian Americans suffer on a daily basis. In this case, the scandalous strategy was well-meant to ameliorate racial tension; however, its consequences resulted in ways that disguise and distort real problems inflicted on actual people of the minorities in the United States.
In conclusion, therefore, there are circumstances, such as when public attention in a short period is needed, in which scandals can be an effective tool. However, the consequences of scandals may not be as substantial as fleeting, all the while disguising the real issues underlying the provocative rhetorics. Therefore, validity of the given statement is limited. |