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So What Am I To Do?
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BUZZFLASH READER COMMENTARY
by Bob
Buzz,
I'm 53 years old and I've never in my lifetime seen anything even approaching what is happening now. I own a television but I rarely use it anymore because of all the crappy programming, the right-wing garbage, and the propaganda that passes these days for news coverage. I own a radio, but rarely turn it on because the air waves are saturated with right wing (and often religious) programs broadcast by people I think must have rabies. I dropped my local paper because it was so right wing and vacuous, it was an embarrassment to the community (not that the community appeared particularly embarrassed, of course).
Now it appears probable that the FCC will approve proposals to further deregulate the media. This means that the problem will only get worse. I would be hard pressed to identify anything more un-American than this.
It would be a mistake to assume these developments have no effect on consumers. As much as I would like to believe that people can think critically for themselves, they usually don't, particularly when fed "current events" in an easy to digest and entertaining form...even though it's dishonest and the press doesn't ask the questions that need to be asked. Critical thought requires some effort, after all.
I have been accused of being a communist, a traitor, and a disloyal American by people who have been deluded by the garbage they are being fed. When I asked them to be more specific, I was told I should support the president during a time of war. When I ask them whether they thought the war in Iraq was justified, they all responded that it was because of what happened on September 11, 2001. When I countered that there was no evidence that Iraq had anything to do with 9-11, I was essentially called a liar. What more proof is necessary to show that the media have not been serving the public interest when this sort of misinformation is allowed to persist?
The traditional role of the media has been to serve as a force to keep the government honest. Now, however, they are clearly serving as the government's advocate. Theoretically, this alone should be enough to stop further deregulation of the media, but it won't.
I am not optimistic in the slightest about the upcoming presidential campaign. I don't think this country has yet passed through the "deep valley" it needs to find itself in before people start to wake up and begin demanding change (that is, if they still can). The Democrats will have to swim against the tide of a hostile press, a misled (and frequently indifferent) public, an opponent funded by many wealthy supporters with deep pockets, and their own inexplicable and deplorable cowardice.
I'll vote in the next election as I always do, and I'll vote for a Democrat as long as the candidate isn't just Republican-lite, but I see no reason to be optimistic that the ideals I cherish will be restored anytime soon.
Bob
A BUZZFLASH READER COMMENTARY
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