Questionable Interior Design

Picture a beachside condo: mere feet from high tide's sapphire waters, it is separated from the deep by a stripe of white sand, foam-crested waves lapping onto it with a soothing swishing sound. Birds cry as they fly by, fish occasionally breach the ocean's surface, and cottony clouds drift by lazily in the expansive heavens. Relaxing in the living room after a long day with a wall-sized window through which to view it all, doesn't it make for a beautiful feeling? Nature's awe-inspiring wonder makes one feel at peace and assures that even in the midst of chaos and unpredictability, the world is indeed a wonderful place.

Now picture the window: it is shaded by a black velvet overhang on top, draped on a three-inch thick brass rod by large, chrome rings. The rod hangs slightly askew, the left side a few inches lower than the other due to a combination of bad planning and shoddy materials - the shafts of the nails and screws meant to hold the bracket are clearly visible as gravity has proved the stronger force. On either side hang sheer curtains of divergent colors: the left is striped in varying shades of blue with golden stitching forming an irregular, inconsistent pattern, as though hand-sewn by an apprentice tailor at 3am after a night at the bar. The right curtain is a spectrum, ranging from the deepest crimson to a pale pink; it has the same erratic, unintelligible stitching patterns crisscrossing through its mostly-opaque panel as its comrade on the opposite side.

Behind the thin curtains on both sides, tenuously suspended by a length of sagging fishing line, hang two thick, brown blankets. Though presumably meant as blackout curtains, their density is insufficient to completely block out the outside light, as they give a slight glow when hit by the sun. When drawn with the main curtains, the combined bulk and color bunch up together and turn the slightly-transparent curtains a stomach-turning shade of vomit when drawn together and combined with the outside light.

The media coverage of the Tucson shooting of Congresswoman Giffords is this window. The reprehensible partisan blame-game and name-calling has shielded from view the real, inspiring story. The major talking points have revolved around who is ideologically at fault:

"Obviously the right's lax stance on gun control laws are to blame here - how else would a lunatic have gotten ahold of a weapon?"

"No, of course not - if gun laws weren't so tight to begin with, another responsibly-armed citizen might have stopped the gunman with a 50-cent bullet and saved the taxpayers a lot of money."

"You're both wrong - it's obviously Sarah Palin's fault. Her violent rhetoric and blood libel against the left planted the idea."

"B . . . but . . . Obama! Death panels!"

"I blame Bush! Assault weapons!"

Look, my point is this: out of all the current events that either side could have picked to politicize, this tragedy is probably the most inappropriate one possible. The negativity and vitriol being slung back and forth in our major media outlets is nothing short of appalling. Yes, the event is unspeakably tragic - many people lost their lives and even more were hurt, but exchanging accusations and insults as to who is at fault will do absolutely nothing to remedy the issue. The man at fault has been arrested and his motives are as yet unknown. The fault lies with him - Jared Loughner - not with the left's politics nor the right's. Let us lay blame on the perpetrator and leave the rest to the judicial system without demonizing any outside forces, regardless of the tact or logic they may or may not possess.

Therefore, why not pull the curtains back - or better yet, take them out of the picture altogether? The magnificent view through the window is Congresswoman Giffords' recovery - despite being shot in the head, her progress has been nothing short of miraculous. She will be transferred to a rehab facility in Texas very soon, and her doctors seem optimistic about her chances (Link).

Is it too much too ask for someone with the appropriate stroke within the media to take the high road on this one and ignore those who insist upon trudging through negativity's gutter? We, the public, deserve better, and more importantly, Congresswoman Giffords and the rest of the victims deserve better.