Good day Cyberspace. I hope you are doing well...and I really hope that the topic of this blog is not one you'll ever have to deal with.
Yesterday in Florida, there were seven 911 call tapes released to the public. Each one related to the shooting of a 17 year old teen last month. This is not the first time I've heard of emergency tapes being released and I'm sure it won't be the last. I think it's disgusting.
The first question that popped into my mind (of course) was why are 911 tapes released? It seems like a gross invasion of privacy to me. Especially when, as in this instance, someone loses their life. I personally don't want to hear anyone's frantic last moments...and I definitely don't want anyone to be privy to mine.
The article on cnn.com (http://www.cnn.com/2012/03/17/justice/florida-teen-shooting/index.html?hpt=hp_t3) states that "The teen's parents broke down when they heard the recordings detailing the last moments of his life..."
No shit.
Can you imagine listening to a phone call, hearing your child screaming for his or her life in the background? Listening to another phone call and hearing his/her desperate pleas for help...followed by another, then another...seven times. Seven slightly different versions of your son's (in this case) death? Forced to relive the most painful possible experience...why put the family through that? It's been less than a month since their child was taken from them, the most precious gift that exists. It is absolutely ridiculous.
If I were involved in an emergency situation and had to call 911, the last thing I would ever want is for that tape to be heard by anyone I know...let alone the entire population. I liken the release of a 911 call to the release of a diary to the public. These things are both extremely personal and should be kept private under any and all circumstances. I'm sure there are things about you, as there are things about me, that you don't want to share with everyone. I don't want everyone to see or hear me at my most vulnerable time. If I do choose to share it with you, be it out of emotional need or physical necessity, I would want you to keep it in confidence. It's just a respectful thing to do...isn't it?
Granted, I don't know the criteria for a tape actually being released to the public, but there is no instance I can think of where this would prove beneficial. Even at the furthest reaches of my imagination (and it's a go-go-gadget arm's length at least) I can't understand the logic behind these actions. If it's a voice identification thing and you want to ask the public for help, which is the most plausible answer I can come up with, release a snippet of the voice in question and silence the background noise. If I can do it with Cool Edit Pro on my computer right now, then every police department in Canada and the US can sure as hell do it.
So the conclusion that I've drawn is that the release of 911 tapes occurs solely for dramatic effect. It's a make-news gimmick that flies in the face of any right to privacy we may have. It's disrespectful to the dead and hurtful to those touched by tragedy. It is absolutely sickening and as far as I'm concerned it should be banned...period.
Peace and love
The Critical Stranger
As always your thoughts and comments are encouraged and appreciated.
Agreed, very distasteful and disrespectful. As you mentioned, there is nothing beneficial that can come from releasing such tapes, other then high tv ratings for news programs.
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