I've been reading stories on the tragic shooting of Halyna Hutchins by actor Alec Baldwin ever since I first heard about it this morning. I've been reading the updates, as news reports try to piece together what happened, but also keeping an eye on my social media feed, which tends to be of a conservative, pro-gun, Republican bend. (OR at least, those are the only people in my feed who've commented on the story)
Now, as it to be expected with such events, social media seems to have gone up in flames, with memes attacking Baldwin spreading like wildfire.
Personally, I like Alec Baldwin. Not as a politician or public figure, but as an actor, which is his job (and what most of these public figures should be focusing on, really). I think he's good at what he does, regardless of his personal views, and I hope he doesn't get convicted.
He might, though. His story is currently the biggest one on most media channels, and nothing's better than a way of keeping the public entertained by cheap gossip.
Obviously, the woman's death (as well as the director's injury) were tragedies, and should be treated with the respect they deserve. But if the shooter had been a no-namer, nobody would be talking about this. Ergo, the only reason this story is getting so much coverage is that the shooter was a major Hollywood figure, one who is a prolific left-wing, anti-gun militant. Which means, this is a show.
And whenever the media starts putting on a show, you gotta wonder why. They're not doing it because they're heartbroken over that one family's tragedy. They're not doing it because they think Baldwin's a particularly bad man, either. They're doing it to keep you entertained. Yet, while your eyes and minds focus on the Baldwin story, what else is happening out there? What are you being distracted from?
I couldn't tell you what, but something fishy happened on that set yesterday, something that leaves one riddled with questions. Like why did they hand a hot gun to an actor with little experience with guns (by his own admission)? What were the cinematographer and director doing in range, so close to the set? I've already read theories that since there were all these people on set, when they should've been behind monitors, this might suggest they weren't filming at the time of shooting. Which begs the question - why did he shoot, while the cameras weren't rolling?
The press has been eager to link it to Brandon Lee's infamous tragedy on the set of The Crow in 1993, where similarly, Lee was shot and killed by a fellow actor, by accident. Except there's one big issue here. In the Lee case, both the shooter and the victim were paid actors, playing parts. Halyna Hutchins wasn't an actor, neither was Joel Souza (the film's director). So what was Alec Baldwin doing, pointing his gun at them, let alone firing it?
Obviously, I'm as curious as anyone to find out why and how this happened, but I'm far more interested to find out what happens next. And what's happening, while we're busy watching this. The story is plastered not only across American television, but in pretty much all other Western countries, as well - why?