The Parrot and the Ford

A bull was grazing in a field near a stream. Now in that country there was a flock of escaped parrots who busied themselves in other people’s matters.

One of them settled on a fence near the bull and began to squawk. “Friend bull, are you aware of a matter of public concern, of serious public concern, right here in these fields? Surely a public-spirited creature such as yourself would want to be informed.” When the parrot saw that the bull made no reply, the bird went on.” Right here in these fields! Right here in these fields! Truly shocking stuff! Why, as I live and breathe, right here in these fields, otters are making unprovoked attacks on skunks at the ford. Vicious, unprovoked attacks.” The parrot seemed to find the phrase appealing because the bird repeated it several times.

“Why?” the bull asked. “Hate,” the parrot said. This phrase also it repeated several times. “They say,” the bird added, “that the skunks are sitting on rocks in the middle of the ford and preying on small creatures, mice and frogs and such. But the otters don’t need the ford. They can swim! What happens at the ford does not affect them personally. So those otters are acting out of hate.”

“None of this affects me personally,” the bull told the parrot. The parrot squawked. It’s outrage was unfeigned. “Are you saying that justice is not your concern? Are you saying that you don’t care about our world? Surely not.”

“It doesn’t affect you personally either,” the bull said.

“Now you are just distracting from the real issue,” the parrot squawked, and flew off in a huff.

The bull returned to grazing his field.

Moral: The media aren’t willing or able to apply standards consistently or think clearly.