If Darwinian Theory supports survival of the fittest, then
why are stupid people still around? People say the cogs, pawns, and peasants are
necessary in comprising the foundation of our Capitalist hierarchy, well then, I
understand. (For all the young punks saying ‘nuh uh’: Capitalism is inevitable
according to your beloved teleological daddy Karl.)
Escalating friction between popular culture and high culture
has resulted in news now being synonymous with entertainment. There is a
problem here. Lindsay Lohan going to rehab is an abomination of humanity, not
news. Even the most intellectual periodicals, such as The N.Y. Times have to
succumb to such minutia in
order to attract a sufficient amount of readers: “Lindsay Lohan: Portrait of the
Party Girl as a Young Artist.”
Picture this: Flat-screen TVs are rooms in which there are
hundreds of people—or channels—trying desperately to capture attention. Each succeeding
company will take more drastic measures, abdicating all moral and ethical
ground so they can rise in the food-chain, or at the very least, make the quota.
Luxuries in life are not without their price… But if you were to act out that
fantasy of taking the C.E.O., president, principal, you name him, and point a
.45 between their eyes, the tell tale “What was I supposed to do?” comes out at
last. Many people think life is so simple: Good, Bad, but understand the
dichotomous nature of being human, because to be human is to err—an alibi,
which, many use unjustly.
The alarm clock that beckons our roles as corporate
sycophants instills entitlement within us everyday—nobody likes succumbing to
others’ beliefs just so we can support our families. Suppressing such values creates
a cesspool where addictions and vices flourish, ultimately ending in early
graves. We survive through sacrifice, but is it really necessary to make a
living this way? There is a pivotal moment in our lives where we either try to
become ignorant towards these injustices, or act as martyrs, suffering
silently, feeling helpless our entire lives. This pivotal moment happens at
about age 4, for those wondering, and is essentially why there are two kinds of
people in this world: those who get it, and those who don’t.
Back to today’s issue: news. I’ve
never really understood the power of attraction with propaganda or tabloids. Oh,
wait a minute, it’s called SENSATIONALISM. For those of you lacking this one in
your lexicon, the pleasure is mine:
–noun
1.
|
subject matter,
language, or style producing or designed to produce startling or thrilling
impressions or to excite and please vulgar taste.
|
The oldest medium of news is the newspaper—an industry, by
the way, in terrible debt and in danger of disappearing—which appears to be the
only medium still subject to laws of journalism: ethics, slander, and libel. The
unfortunate matter is that the most popular medium of news is that which is
broadcasted on television. Statistics try to communicate that only a microscopic
fraction of citizens in the United States watch television, but it doesn’t appear that way to me. A census taken by
the U.S. government in July 2007 shows the population at a staggering 301,139,947.
According to the 2005 annual report on cable TV viewers, researchers at
Journalism.org concluded that viewers of CNN topped out at 77.8 million during
the month of Saddam Hussein’s capture. A more consistent average is at 44
million viewers per day. In other words, less than 1/6 of the American populace
watches TV. But statistics have their issues, just as we all do. These viewers
are interchangeable. And tell of the man who is isolated from other mediums
such as the newspaper, the magazine, the internet, and the radio. It’s
inescapable, and if you try to escape it, fine, but escape the people who are
enthralled with the latest frivolities, and I will find you a lone man.
Who feeds it? Why do we feed it? What is news? Is news an
industry that provides information on what is happening in the world that we,
without it, would otherwise not know? Who chooses the information that is
provided? Who chooses what audiences are catered to? Who decides that a show
revealing ‘sting operations’ on prospective sexual predators is good for the
head? The balance is tainted, biasness abounds, and if you rely solely on CNN,
KOMO 4, KING 5, FOX NEWS, or MSNBC for a view of what’s really happening in
this world, you are an unsavory type. Stop and take a look around you—attempt
balance.
This industry has catalyzed a voyeuristic society. Watching
and having a reaction is a waste of energy, our sympathy and empathy is
worthless to all these proposed victims. We actively let the news instill fear
within us, and use it as excuse for a multitude of things, stress and paranoia.
I quote the priest in Bulgakov’s The
White Guard: “Faintness of heart is a great sin…”
So let’s not give cowardice and despair the privilege of
sullying our endeavors. Turn off the TV.
4/24/2008
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