PDubyah: The facination of the media for Redemption

Friday, July 6, 2012

The facination of the media for Redemption

re·demp·tion:

An act of redeeming or the state of being redeemed.

Deliverance; rescue.

Theology. deliverance from sin; salvation.

Atonement for guilt.

Repurchase, as of something sold

One of the online media sites in New Zealand, Stuff.co.nz, uses "redemption" at the drop of a hat.

A quick search returns About 2,590 results on their website which is a little on high side don't ya think?

Redemption and Sport return 2,090 results !! which is a little on the high side don't ya think ?

The other online site The New Zealand Herald returns only about 1,000 results. Redemption and sports gets a paltry 70 results.

So either the Journalists at Stuff are a Pious bunch who have some intimate knowledge of the religiosity of the people they are writing about, or someone at these media outlets doesn't think "Redemption" means what they think it means.

In the context that the media use it, mostly, it's for sport. And what they don't divulge is what it is that they are seeking or receiving or asking redemption for?

A Redemption from what wrong or misdeed that they've done, aside from being an abject failure at their earlier attempt at something. They are mostly professional sportspeople, they've been paid, or are getting paid to do what they do. It's not like they have to give the money back for their failure.

Are they seeking to apologise and show they are worthy of adulation and adoration, and the cash that they comes with it, and to prove that we should throw more money their way?

Worst cases are they don't get paid as much next time, or they don't get another opportunity. Either way it's not a redemptive situation is it?

Sure as an individual it could be that they are trying to redeem their good name then, regain their cachet with their adoring public, from who they crave admiration, seek redress to the bad publicity that comes with some act or other on or off the sporting field. But that does not excuse the media for running over 2000 stories of redemption under any circumstance that I can think of.

If I'm wrong however I'll seek redemption at the earliest opportunity