America The Radical
One of the most striking features of the post-Trump media landscape in America is the extent to which it (the media) apparently learned nothing from the whole sordid ordeal that was Donald Trump's presidency. Or maybe it learned quite a bit.
For years, Trump insisted that outlets like the "failing" New York Times should be singing his praises, if not in print, then certainly in the boardroom, because were it not for his unrivaled capacity to conjure "news" out of thin air (usually by courting c
The American public, and the media outlets that attempt to retain their limited interest, lack any intellectual discernment….so, we’re perfectly matched. In this moment, we deserve each other.
There are two old sayings about the Internet that I try to remember:
The first is from the old (1993) Peter Steiner/New Yorker cartoon, “On the Internet, no one knows you’re a dog.”
The second is from a 2008 Brian Stelter piece in the New York Times in which he quotes Jane Buckingham: “If the news is that important, it will find me.”
I stopped watching or reading current events news soon after Trump was elected, and for exactly the reasons you highlight in this post: it served no purpose that I could see other than to rile people up. Whether it was Rachel Maddow on the left, or Sean Hannity on the right, or anyone in between, the news through those channels was serving no useful purpose.
And by useful purpose, I mean (a) does it affect me—either directly or indirectly, or is it something I care deeply about, and (b) can I do anything about it?
So I read the financial/economic sections of Bloomberg, WSJ, CNBC, Reuters, AP, and maybe a few others. I have some blogs—like this one—that I follow. And I have a Reddit account with subreddits set to my items of interest. With those epistemic filters in place I’ve found that, for the most part, if the news is really important to me, it will filter through and I’ll hear about it. And I rarely get too riled up.
I try to listen to The Economist because I usually only get worked up when they talk about the US National “Debt”, etc. I think the soothing British accents of the folks reading the stories helps keep me calm!
It’s so nice to finish a news story and find yourself thinking critically instead of getting emotional. Makes you want to keep going.
As always, thanks, H, for the post. I sympathize with you in regard to reconnecting with an old friend. I’ve had that experience too. Life’s a trip. We all follow different paths. And we’re all “free” Americans, many of us guided by the “wisdom” of individual perspective. In the end I do not begrudge such old friends either their freedom or their wisdom. Is this the more perfect union to which we collectively strive? Perhaps, in part. But by definition, the country still evolves. And the ongoing success of our country – or should I say, the outcome of the country’s ambition to be more perfect – depends upon character and tolerance. And having such a variety of characters as we do, the two must go hand in hand.
I’ve never had patience for CNN. I try to watch them, but each time I find they seem to exploit story facts and amplify argument, rather than simply standing on facts to let them speak for themselves. The abundance of Americans, I believe (fingers crossed), do not like being told what to think.
There’s no way to get back the 13 Americans who died in Kabul.
However, there is pretty easy way to save 13,000 Americans over the next year who would otherwise die.
Let’s get them all vaccinated.
Vaccinations — real science and double blind clinical trials — versus Ivermectin which is great for worms and lice, but has no efficacy for any virus whatsoever.
Yet somehow, on the right, Ivermectin is preferred. Senators Rand Paul and Ron Johnson have been pushing it for some time, claiming some kind of a grand conspiracy as to why the FDA won’t take it seriously.
This country has never been crazier.
Not enough 000s on the number of unvacinated Americans who will die in the next year. And you forget the people who will die because the hospitals are stuffed with anti-vax fools. Don’t have a heart attack, stroke or cancer for the next year or two until we can clear out the anti-vax holdouts. You won’t get a bed in your local hospital.
H
Hear! Hear! Spot on.
Well said. Even Bill Maher agrees! I want to know the drone strike prevented hundreds of deaths. My wife watches the news mix of MSNBC, FOX, BBC, and CNN while I watch TWC in the basement. We’re losing our way.
And if we can’t find a way to get the youth to opt for a real education there really isn’t much hope.
On vacation this week (and next) with no TV. For some reason, the world seems less crazy than it did last week. (RIP Ed Asner nd Charlie Watts.)