Several years ago I gave my broadcasting students an assignment to interview someone who was alive during the Kennedy Assassination. I had gotten the idea from a CNN program hosted by Larry King. During the show King interviewed celebrities asking them what they were doing when they first heard the news of the shooting. There were many interesting and unique accounts.
Off with tape recorders went my students to interview parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles. They were to find one person and interview them about that fateful day in November 1963. As the tapes came in many stories were just as interesting and unique as any celebrity's account. But one thing occurred over and over again. The accounts were WRONG. Not factual! Inaccurate!
How do I know? Because things that people say they remember never happened. They "mis-remembered". Chiefly is the description of what they recall on television. I will return to this is a moment.
It is said that the TV networks coverage of the Kennedy Assassination was it's finest hour, the coming of age of the relatively new medium. It was certainly historic. There had been Presidential assassinations before but none had ever taken place in the TV era.
Imagine what it must have been like in 1963. There were only three major networks; CBS, NBC and ABC. No cable. TV news was broadcast in black-and-white, mobile tape equipment didn't exist, most signals were sent by what is known as "hard wire" or microwave relays. There were not mobile satellite trucks that permit instant images like we have today.
And TV news used film. It is difficult to imagine today, when nearly every human over the age of 12 has a mobile device with a camera, that only two people were recording when the President of the United States was murdered in public, in broad daylight!
It was all because of film. TV stations could not afford to roll through reel after reel of film. Film was and is expensive. It had to be developed in a lab. A news cameraman would have been eaten alive by his news director if he had returned with hours of spent film of a routine motorcade. Why shoot that much footage when you were only going to use a small amount on the news anyway? Once the film was exposed or developed it could not be reused; as with video tape or digital video today. It is for this reason I have banned the word "film" in my classroom. We have never filmed anything in my 22 years of broadcast teaching. We have taped, videoed, recorded and captured...but we have never filmed. The "F" word is forbidden in my class.
Film is the reason we only have one account of the actual shooting. You see, no one expected it to happen! As a result, call it bad luck or poor timing, not one TV station or network had its cameras rolling at the precise moment the shots were fired. They didn't want to waste film! The only useable footage was shot on a Bell and Howell home movie camera by an amateur, Abraham Zapruder.(There was another amateur's film from much farther away with far less clarity.)
Zapruder's film would be copied for the FBI and the rights to it were sold to Life Magazine. This is where my student's interviewees have foggy memories. I listened time and again to people describing how they watched the film of the assassination over and over again. But they couldn't have. No TV station or network had access to it. They didn't have the legal rights to it. It belonged to a print magazine!
John Kennedy was killed on November 22, 1963. The first public viewing of the Zapruder film was not until February 13, 1969 at the trial of Clay Shaw in New Orleans. This trial was the basis for the Oliver Stone movie "JFK". It would be six years later that the first TV airing would take place. News reporter and talk show host, Geraldo Rivera gave America it's first televised viewing on March 6, 1975.
So you see? They couldn't have watched it over and over and over again. Not in 1963. Since that airing on Rivera's show the Zapruder film is considered to be the most exam piece of video in history! Since it's release it has been shown so much that people who lived through those dark days actually believe they saw it at the time.
Although there is only one true video account of the assassination there are dozens of conspiracy theories that linger 50 years later. The delay in the public's viewing of the actual footage for so long helped spawn many of them. Despite the freedom to watch and examine and study there are still questions about what happened and how.
Because of one man, Abraham Zapruder, this event, the most blatant, and public murder of the 20th Century, has been frozen in time. What if the networks and the local TV stations had been rolling their cameras? Would it help put to rest some of the conspiracy theories? We will never know. History tells us that there were at least two shooters that day. One, we are told, was Lee Harvey Oswald. The other was Zapruder with his home movie camera.
If only someone else had been shooting too!
Thanks for reading!
Jeff
Friday, November 22, 2013
Monday, November 18, 2013
ANGER MANAGEMENT
Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God. Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.
(James 1:19-21 ESV)
The scripture verses above were the focus of a recent community group bible study in which I participated. The next day my personal bible study pointed me to 1st Corinthians 13.
Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
Love never ends.... (1 Corinthians 13:4-8 ESV)
These two passages seemed to come together as one clear message speaking to me. Anger is something that I have wrestled with in my adult life. My reactions often times are the exact opposite of what James tells his "beloved brothers" to do. I am afraid I am more like pre-resurrection Peter than I am like James.
I have found myself quick to hear what I think someone is saying--which really is not listening or hearing at all. I have been slow to speak when speaking out is necessary in taking a stand or promoting a cause. I have been slow to anger when I witness wrongdoing or injustice
Conversely, I have been slow to listen to others' viewpoint or reasoning. I have been quick to speak without thinking things through. I have lost my temper over what later I know are battles not worth pursuing. My anger was far greater than the offense.
During the discussion I reasoned that much of what James is calling for is a humbleness of spirit and self. Why do I/we get angry? It is often because I/we feel we are in a superior position than whatever person or circumstance gets in our way. One member of the group called it "goal blocking". He said that he gets angry when anything stands in his way.
Our discuss questions include conversation about justified anger or appropriate anger. Some could not think of times in their lives when anger was justified or appropriate. I thought this to be a little short-sighted. (It didn't make me angry, however, even though I felt I held a superior position...so much for humbleness). I said that I think anger at injustices such as child abuse, discrimination, racism and other types of social issues could be justified. To me, anger at circumstances and actions is much different from anger toward individuals.
I could be wrong here but I think James is writing about long held anger that festers and poisons oneself. Granted, he is not dismissing the quick flairs of road rage or quick tempered vitriol but I think it is the anger that we feed that hinders our souls.
When I think I am superior or hold a superior opinion /position I am more likely to have my anger fueled when someone says or does something counter to my desired and pre-determined outcome. This thinking requires me to assume I am in the right. It then is more about ego and winning: winning the argument, winning the point, winning dominance. Sounds like a far cry from the meekness James writes about.
And what about that stuff Paul writes about? Be not arrogant, not rude, not irritable, not resentful. My, oh my, don't insist on your own way? I know that is where I get into trouble! I would guess most of us do too!
Upon deeper reflection, I pondered why any of us have the right to get angry at all."...the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God.: This is where humility really comes into play. If we submit ourselves to a greater authority and accept our unworthiness and inferiority it really makes it much easier to control our actions regarding anger,
That higher authority I refer to, of course, is Christ. When we stack our thoughts, words and deeds along side of a perfect Savior we are all going to fall well short. Against a holy scale we all fail. There is no grading on the curve.
Anger is not a sin. I talked earlier about cases where anger can be legitimate. Jesus displayed anger during his life on earth. He turned over the tables of the money-changers in the temple. This was not a temper tantrum. It was an act of purifying the temple. It was in all it's display the product of the righteousness of God.
Are there things we should be angry about? I believe so. I actually believe that we are wrong when we don't get angry sometimes.... "it (love) does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. The truth can't be twisted to fit our agenda or our motives. We have to view the truth through the lens of the cross.
Here is a simple measuring stick: Re-read 1 Corinthians 13: 4-8. Replace the word "love" with "God"; because we are told in 1 John that "God is love. Then replace the word "God" with the name of Jesus. Re-read it. After all, we are told "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God."(John 1:1 ESV). "And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. (John 1:14 ESV).
Now as Christ Followers we are to be like Christ; so substitute your name for the words "love", "God", "Jesus" and "it". Re-read it. Let it soak in. Is (insert your name here) patient and kind? Is it true that (insert your name) doesn't envy or boast? Is (yep you again) arrogant or rude? Does (you get the idea) insist on their on way?
I know when I place my name in those verses I cannot measure up. I see my failures and shortcoming. I see that regardless of how good I may try to be or how right I think I am, I will never be in a position to justify long held spirit killing anger. Up against a infinitely Holy God I really don't have any right to be angry at all!
Since that night of community group I have worked to be conscience of what causes my own anger. I have tried to be quicker to listen and slower to speak. As with most things I am a work in progress. Based on the passages above the answer for anger is love. If we can manage to love others it would be a whole lot easier to manage our anger!
God Bless and thanks for reading
Jeff
(James 1:19-21 ESV)
The scripture verses above were the focus of a recent community group bible study in which I participated. The next day my personal bible study pointed me to 1st Corinthians 13.
Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
Love never ends.... (1 Corinthians 13:4-8 ESV)
These two passages seemed to come together as one clear message speaking to me. Anger is something that I have wrestled with in my adult life. My reactions often times are the exact opposite of what James tells his "beloved brothers" to do. I am afraid I am more like pre-resurrection Peter than I am like James.
I have found myself quick to hear what I think someone is saying--which really is not listening or hearing at all. I have been slow to speak when speaking out is necessary in taking a stand or promoting a cause. I have been slow to anger when I witness wrongdoing or injustice
Conversely, I have been slow to listen to others' viewpoint or reasoning. I have been quick to speak without thinking things through. I have lost my temper over what later I know are battles not worth pursuing. My anger was far greater than the offense.
During the discussion I reasoned that much of what James is calling for is a humbleness of spirit and self. Why do I/we get angry? It is often because I/we feel we are in a superior position than whatever person or circumstance gets in our way. One member of the group called it "goal blocking". He said that he gets angry when anything stands in his way.
Our discuss questions include conversation about justified anger or appropriate anger. Some could not think of times in their lives when anger was justified or appropriate. I thought this to be a little short-sighted. (It didn't make me angry, however, even though I felt I held a superior position...so much for humbleness). I said that I think anger at injustices such as child abuse, discrimination, racism and other types of social issues could be justified. To me, anger at circumstances and actions is much different from anger toward individuals.
I could be wrong here but I think James is writing about long held anger that festers and poisons oneself. Granted, he is not dismissing the quick flairs of road rage or quick tempered vitriol but I think it is the anger that we feed that hinders our souls.
When I think I am superior or hold a superior opinion /position I am more likely to have my anger fueled when someone says or does something counter to my desired and pre-determined outcome. This thinking requires me to assume I am in the right. It then is more about ego and winning: winning the argument, winning the point, winning dominance. Sounds like a far cry from the meekness James writes about.
And what about that stuff Paul writes about? Be not arrogant, not rude, not irritable, not resentful. My, oh my, don't insist on your own way? I know that is where I get into trouble! I would guess most of us do too!
Upon deeper reflection, I pondered why any of us have the right to get angry at all."...the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God.: This is where humility really comes into play. If we submit ourselves to a greater authority and accept our unworthiness and inferiority it really makes it much easier to control our actions regarding anger,
That higher authority I refer to, of course, is Christ. When we stack our thoughts, words and deeds along side of a perfect Savior we are all going to fall well short. Against a holy scale we all fail. There is no grading on the curve.
Anger is not a sin. I talked earlier about cases where anger can be legitimate. Jesus displayed anger during his life on earth. He turned over the tables of the money-changers in the temple. This was not a temper tantrum. It was an act of purifying the temple. It was in all it's display the product of the righteousness of God.
Are there things we should be angry about? I believe so. I actually believe that we are wrong when we don't get angry sometimes.... "it (love) does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. The truth can't be twisted to fit our agenda or our motives. We have to view the truth through the lens of the cross.
Here is a simple measuring stick: Re-read 1 Corinthians 13: 4-8. Replace the word "love" with "God"; because we are told in 1 John that "God is love. Then replace the word "God" with the name of Jesus. Re-read it. After all, we are told "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God."(John 1:1 ESV). "And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. (John 1:14 ESV).
Now as Christ Followers we are to be like Christ; so substitute your name for the words "love", "God", "Jesus" and "it". Re-read it. Let it soak in. Is (insert your name here) patient and kind? Is it true that (insert your name) doesn't envy or boast? Is (yep you again) arrogant or rude? Does (you get the idea) insist on their on way?
I know when I place my name in those verses I cannot measure up. I see my failures and shortcoming. I see that regardless of how good I may try to be or how right I think I am, I will never be in a position to justify long held spirit killing anger. Up against a infinitely Holy God I really don't have any right to be angry at all!
Since that night of community group I have worked to be conscience of what causes my own anger. I have tried to be quicker to listen and slower to speak. As with most things I am a work in progress. Based on the passages above the answer for anger is love. If we can manage to love others it would be a whole lot easier to manage our anger!
God Bless and thanks for reading
Jeff
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