A Boy, A Balloon, and A Gullible Nation

Really?

Can this be such a gullible nation?  Can people be so quick to believe what is placed in front of them?  Do people have such a short attention span that if they see a shiny object floating by in front of them and all of a sudden the problems facing our country seem to just vanish in thin air?

I couldn’t believe for a moment when they flashed the news story on national news about the “missing” boy from Colorado that a child could possibly be in that balloon.  In fact, after watching the thirty second update I changed the channel and never gave it a second thought.  It wasn’t until later that night that I heard the news that low and behold the child was found safe hidden safe in his home.   Phew, I tell you, I couldn’t keep my knees from knocking.

It seems like a simple concept but maybe it’s just me.  Ask yourself when you are confronted with a situation “Does this sound logical?”  Chances are if you are scratching your head and have a weird feeling that something isn’t right that you’re right on target.  Something wasn’t right and I’m not sure who to blame.  The media for jumping on this “emergency”, the family for creating an alleged stunt, or the public for watching so much idiotic “reality” television that producers are inclined to create more.  I’m not sure if reality is imitating art or art is imitating reality but one thing I do know is stupidity begets stupidity.

One group of people I place absolutely no blame on is the emergency response personnel.  No matter how far fetched the situation it is their job to respond exactly like they did, like a life depended on it.  I feel sorry for them that they were placed in the situation they were, I feel sorry for others that may not have received the care they needed in a timely manner because of this alleged hoax, and I feel sorry for the tax payers that put up the principal and green lighted a Hollywood production without even knowing it.

Hint to the nation, watch more Mythbusters!