One Liberal's View of America

According to the Poynter Institute’s website, Kenneth Irby “is an integral figure in visual journalism education, known for his insightful knowledge of photographic storytelling, innovative management ideas, and steadfast ethical thinking. He founded Poynter's photojournalism program in 1995. He teaches in seminars and consults in areas of photojournalism, leadership, ethics, and diversity.”

This morning, Mr. Irby was asked on NPR’s “The Takeaway” whether media images from Haiti are too graphic. His response, “The bigger problem I think is not the principles of the journalist, it’s the ignorance of the American people. The American people have been protected, sheltered, and privileged, and don’t want to see the kinds of realities that are happening outside of our borders and to take a responsibility that we have, as Americans, to help those that are in need.” (http://www.thetakeaway.org/2010/jan/26/are-photographs-haiti-too-graphic/)

I submit that Mr. Irby’s offensive comments are typical of what liberals think of America. Liberalism is a philosophy that government must play an intimate role in all our economic decisions, from picking a doctor to buying a house. This philosophy cannot be justified except on the grounds that we are too ignorant and too irresponsible to make those decisions by ourselves. By its very nature, liberalism is insulting to all but the small elite elevated to government to guide us through the shopping mall.

This view of our great country is not only insulting, it is contrary to fact. According to the most recent census, in 1998, the last year for which statistics were available, Americans spent $28.8 billion dollars on books. And in 2010, three days before Mr. Irby’s interview, Americans watched the “Hope for Haiti Telethon” and pledged $61 million for Haitian earthquake victims. Clearly we are neither ignorant, nor unwilling to help those in need.