A Thought On The Media

[djAdvocate]

for purposes of this discussion, I recommend reading this article (thanks, Tenn):

www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/the-us-capitol-riot-was-years-in-the-making-heres-why-america-is-so-divided/ar-BB1cOsos?li=BBnb7Kz

it occurred to me after reading this that distrust in the media has lead IN LARGE PART to where we are today.  I will make the case that the distrust was not, in any way, earned.  it was this lie, this original sin, that lead us to where we are today.

we can trace back this sin to 1986, when The Media Elite was published. this book got a free run of at least 10 years, with intellectual pushback, but without being publicly confronted. and the result is that the lies perpetuated in this book have lead to the rise of hate radio, then hate websites, the latter of which allowed misanthropes of all kinds to gather together with their allies, and organize against our multicultural, multiracial society.

when I was a boy, we TRUSTED the media. if we had a wild idea, we looked to the media to straighten us out.  what do boys do now? they find a blog (left wing, right wing, centrist) or a "news outlet" that spoon feeds them NOT competing information, but confirming information. and as they grow into adults, their fears, suspicious, and fact-free imaginations animate their adult lives, including their votes.

in other nations, there are laws which prohibit the propagation of lies. but who is the authority left to do that, here? and where is the WILL to enable them to do it?

the job of the media is to scrutinize the government and to TRUTHFULLY address their shortcomings.  the fourth estate was vibrant in the early days of the republic.  the government, in fact, SUBSIDIZED the media to ensure that many voices would be there to address matters of public concern, and keep the government honest.  now, giant media conglomerates have lobbyists that are in bed with government.  in order to attain access to government, they must work with them, and not antagonize them.  this is not how things should work, and is very much worthy of critique (though not generally the kind they get).

how do we get out of this?  I would love to hear some ideas that lessen the notion that this nation may dissolve into tribalism which will eventually drown every ideal we hold dear in a bathtub of lies.

[dondub]

Jan 17, 2021 0:33:02 GMT -5 djAdvocate said:

for purposes of this discussion, I recommend reading this article (thanks, Tenn):

www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/the-us-capitol-riot-was-years-in-the-making-heres-why-america-is-so-divided/ar-BB1cOsos?li=BBnb7Kz

it occurred to me after reading this that distrust in the media has lead IN LARGE PART to where we are today.  I will make the case that the distrust was not, in any way, earned.  it was this lie, this original sin, that lead us to where we are today.

we can trace back this sin to 1986, when The Media Elite was published. this book got a free run of at least 10 years, with intellectual pushback, but without being publicly confronted. and the result is that the lies perpetuated in this book have lead to the rise of hate radio, then hate websites, the latter of which allowed misanthropes of all kinds to gather together with their allies, and organize against our multicultural, multiracial society.

when I was a boy, we TRUSTED the media. if we had a wild idea, we looked to the media to straighten us out.  what do boys do now? they find a blog (left wing, right wing, centrist) or a "news outlet" that spoon feeds them NOT competing information, but confirming information. and as they grow into adults, their fears, suspicious, and fact-free imaginations animate their adult lives, including their votes.

in other nations, there are laws which prohibit the propagation of lies. but who is the authority left to do that, here? and where is the WILL to enable them to do it?

the job of the media is to scrutinize the government and to TRUTHFULLY address their shortcomings.  the fourth estate was vibrant in the early days of the republic.  the government, in fact, SUBSIDIZED the media to ensure that many voices would be there to address matters of public concern, and keep the government honest.  now, giant media conglomerates have lobbyists that are in bed with government.  in order to attain access to government, they must work with them, and not antagonize them.  this is not how things should work, and is very much worthy of critique (though not generally the kind they get).

how do we get out of this?  I would love to hear some ideas that lessen the notion that this nation may dissolve into tribalism which will eventually drown every ideal we hold dear in a bathtub of lies.

Bravo! 👏

[dondub]

Personally I’m quite cynical now. As I have said before I am ready for Cascadia or Ecotopia type secession for the west coast. Figure out how to do a ‘see you later’ for everything east of the Cascades and Sierras.
I think we are fucked as a nation. The divide is too big. Heck, we can’t even get a decent healthcare program let alone feed our hungry kids. There are a myriad of other problems that now seem unsolvable. And whatever national unity used to exist is long gone.

[djAdvocate]

it's so silly, since the MAJORITY agree (by a fairly wide margin) on those things.

but as soon as a Democrat or anyone else lays groundwork for fixing those problems, the corporatists get to work undermining it. and now, they have a really good grip on how to do it from the fringes. AND IT IS WORKING. so, what could possibly convince them to change? they can cheaply and effectively run things to their advantage.

I am quite cynical, as well. but I have an open mind. if someone can explain how we get out of this, I am open. the big problem here is that the 1st and 2nd amendments have been weaponized AGAINST the public interest. I doubt that Jefferson ever saw this coming, or he would have made the language much more clear. in short, I trust government FAR MORE on these issues than I trust corporations- but oddly, MOST of the public feels differently than I do. and that is a HUGE problem.

[Lizard Queen]

I see some hope in the Dominion case. If they win a huge settlement, that might scare people a little straighter. Perhaps some legislation along those lines that would work more immediately could be enacted. Cease and desist, or your going to pay dearly sort of thing.

[Rukh O'Rorke]

I have hope that we won't lose the democracy, but I don't have hope that this isn't setting the stage for a shit show over the next decade or two.

[oped]

Jan 17, 2021 10:09:50 GMT -5 Lizard Queen said:

I see some hope in the Dominion case. If they win a huge settlement, that might scare people a little straighter. Perhaps some legislation along those lines that would work more immediately could be enacted. Cease and desist, or your going to pay dearly sort of thing.

And the Rich case. I guessing suing often is going to be the way?

[djAdvocate]

any ideas about what to do?
some sort of non-partisan information clearing house?
c'mon people. you have the collective intelligence of God.