This seems to be a staple at the end of NBC News, almost every evening. C’mon, the kids are going to figure out something’s up when the local TV station comes to, say, their classroom play.
Yes, I am weary of these feel-good stories and all of the major networks do this. I suppose they include them because they want to give you someone to feel good about considering most of the news isn’t all that good. I don’t blame them, I just wish they did it less.
I don’t mind it. I imagine the school might have issue if it’s close to an Army base. Could take up all thier time.
To me, a story like that once a week is adequate. While I was never in the military, I do know a little about what these families are not unlikely to face in the years to come, and it’s not pretty and it cancels out any “uplifting” factor.
Years ago, I started a similar thread about the trend of autistic or other special-needs children having a birthday party, and nobody shows up, so the police and fire department step in and save the day. Oh, and a TV crew just happens to be there as well. Mmmmkay…
ABC World News Tonight seems to end many newscasts with stories about videos that were shared on social media. I get the impression that unless it’s shared on social media, it didn’t really happen.
Fine by me. Too much trump.
I think I’ve posted here before how much and why I despise this stupid selfish stunt. Other people’s children are involved. Why ruin the event for them? Why change the focus from those who are there to celebrate the actual event? Also, once a unit returns from deployment, there are quite a number of things to do, yet there is still time to call the family.
Again, it’s a stupid selfish stunt.
It’s not for me, so I just move along. People are allowed to like things.
Its more the patronizing emotional manipulation that is annoying to me. All they need is someone dressed as Jesus holding an american flag to hit all the buttons.
I’m sick of the staged surprise appearances with the kids. We all have choices in life. You weigh the personal gratification you might feel about joining the military and the benefits that you will be due for vs. the separation you’re going to have from any family that you start. You chose the military knowing the hardships that it presents for family life. Fine, you made your choice. But then you call the camera crews in to watch you surprise the kids that you knew you might have to leave for extended periods of time so you can look like the big hero. Fuck that shit. Live with the choices you make and don’t try to have it both ways.
Here in England there’s usually a ‘feelgood’ story at the end of local news e.g.
When I was a kid in San Diego in the '90s, the version of this that they loved to present on the local news was “ship comes back into port and sailor meets his baby for the first time”.
Because I guess we were all supposed to be OK with the military dragging servicemen away from their families in peacetime so they wouldn’t be there when their children were being born.
I like the ones in which someone’s dog greets them after a long absence.
Yes. Both because it’s not as artificial (nobody told the dog because you can’t tell the dog), and because dogs are just so manically enthusiastic about it.
Glurge sells.
Sex sells.
Anger/rage sells.
Wash. Rinse. Repeat.
@nearwildheaven, You are clearly not the intended audience for these stories.
IOW this
Now this is a horse of a different color:
I like a good sheep rescue.
Or you could take a page from my book: I don’t watch TV news ever– not local, not national. Much easier to limit and filter what comes into your brain when you only read the news. YMMV.
There was a time, before the evening national news programs, where many people subscribed to both a morning and an afternoon newspaper. And then the evening news programs made the afternoon paper unnecessary, so those went away. And now we all have a device in our pockets that can give us the news all day long, if we wish. So the national news programs are redundant.
And perhaps many of these stories about deployed soldiers coming home and being greeted by their children or their dogs are the kinds of things that people share on social media (Facebook and so forth)? And the kind of people who aren’t on social media to see this stuff are probably also the ones to still watch network news, so these clips are new to them. My (89-year-old) mother, for instance, would be an example of this. She’s not on social media at all, and watches ABC World News Tonight and CNN each day.
I may have posted here as well. I agree with your point and would add that the service member could 1) immediately see their family at the airport, or 2) delay seeing them to put on a show.
It’s a little bit of the mentality that the wedding is more important than the marriage. I really dislike it. If you really missed your kids, fucking go see them.
What, and deny random strangers the opportunity to worship you?