After only my first night in the family stay, I was amazed to realize how sheltered I am in regards to world news and conflicts. At home, I try to watch the news regularly, and I have always felt like I knew what was going on if a crisis arised. Before leaving, there was a lot of news coverage on the Haiti earthquake. As saddening as it was, I did not feel an emotional attachment to the victims and their families. I knew there were thousands killed and people still trapped under rubble, but I never felt the ache in my heart for them that I would soon feel, upon entering my host family's home. During dinner, the family was watching the news (this is very typical) and they had Haiti coverage. As I was watching, I realized with horror that I was looking at dead childrens' bodies with flies swarming around them, women that were unidentifiable from the debris and blood. I was shocked that this was allowed to be shown on tv, but then I glanced at my host parents to see that they weren't even flinching; whereas I had completely lost my apetite.
In Spain, the news is more "real"--nothing is censored, and everything is shown. I have noticed that even local news can be disturbing. Uproars and conflicts become very public--I saw a man's home invaded by police for a drug bust, while he was sobbing and yelling at the camera crew. I also have seen a lot of things that make my stomach turn, such as the victims of Haiti, along with other dead bodies from various accidents and blood on walls.
Watching the news here has made me realize how "sugar coated" our news production is. It makes me wonder how this affects our country. Are we less aware of reality? Are we more able to brush off crises around the world? Having seen a more realistic perspective of issues around the world has made me more aware of and sensitive to the issues that people face every day, that I may have not even thought about.
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