There You Go
With the deadline come and gone, the kidnappers are now said to be contemplating scaling down their demand. From cash to livelihood projects. That’s good, of course. It just calls into question how much we needed the ‘ticking clock’ drama.
Every line of text devoted to these jokers gives them incentive to up the ante; every drama sequence increases pressure on people to cave to their demands; every sentence trailing off to silence extends this caper a few more hours. When you realize this, you hopefully understand that this is not just a matter of taste.
There is more at stake here than just criticism of style.
[June 17, 2008]
