Sorry I haven't been on in a while, everyone- I just haven't been focusing on much lately. (unless you count my 19-page science paper and 30-page powerpoint as something I've been focusing on. Well, crap. Just forget all of that. I've been doing my science paper, okay?) But, as I haven't been focusing on anything (productive, or not relating to schoolwork), I have been watching the news a lot- both on TV and on t3h intarwebz. I have MSNBC as my homepage, and occasionally look at CNN, (They pretty much report on the same stories, so I mostly just look at MSNBC because it has a clearer layout) and I have to say that, even simply as a 13-year-old boy just watching the world revolve around him, the news is sorely disappointing. The headlines as of 11:10 PM on March 22nd on MSNBC are about easter sermons on racism, something about basketball (I don't care, honestly) and the mistaken release of a prisoner. (WTF) There are two headlines which ARE relevant to actual things, such as con artists targeting homeowners and Cheney talking to Israel about security, but if you scroll down, you'll see something very different. There are things about Britney Spears' wardrobe, Tiger Woods playing golf (STILL. WHO CARES), and other things specifically catered to the general public. Where are those of us who want to know what's happening in the world to get our information?
There was a recent documentary that I watched called "In the Hot Zone" by Kevin Sites that I found quite interesting. Mr. Sites was in Lebanon during the short war between Israel and Hizbollah (you say Hizbollah, I say Hezbollah...) that resulted in many civilian casualties, along with a war in Sri Lanka, the Chechnya province of Russia, and other places, recording the suffering endured by just a few of the millions who live in war zones. Why can't we have news like this? Why can't we simply hear about what happens in the world? We are the most powerful, the richest, the most influential nation in the world. Why should our people care more about Britney Spears and Tiger Woods than the millions dying in Africa, the medical breakthroughs scientists make every day, the technology of the computer industry that constantly changes and improves upon itself? Granted, there may be some showing of this, but when people like Kevin Sites go in and report on what's TRULY happening in places like this, it leaves you wondering what MSNBC isn't reporting.
So that's my rant. Hope you liked the wall of text that my random thought patterns spawned.
This is Jacob, signing out. But first, how's about I leave you with a nice picture?
And please, I'm totally open to constructive criticism about what I say on this blag. If no one ever tells you what you're doing wrong, and you don't notice it, how are you going to fix it?~'Q?'
11 comments:
It's a sad and pathetic thing, the corruption of the media. It's not only an American phenomenon, either - it's worldwide. More and more newspapers are writing articles on less and less important things; the news isn't even worth watching anymore. The worst part is that it's impossible to know what to believe, even out of what little information the news does give you. You can never be sure how much of the truth you're getting - and even if you are getting the truth, it turns out to be about unimportant things that no one cares about.
There's a war in Iraq. We're losing 100 acres of rainforest a day. Global warming is sweeping the world. Poverty is dominant in more and more countries. Why aren't we covering any of these things with our media, instead of wasting our time on useless, unimportant junk?
Exactly. Why can't people just say that they want to hear the NEWS?
BRITNEY SPEARS IS NOT THE NEWS.
Britney Spears is stupid celebrity gossip. She doesn't pertain to current events in the slightest. Material like that should be saved for the gossip magazines; that's what they cover and they should be left to it. News websites, TV channels, and newspapers should go back to covering the REAL news.
I only know of one really respectable media institution- that's TIME magazine. I read the newest issue today, and it's the only place where former presidents write articles, they have reporters visiting the Dalai Lama (coolest. person. ever.), and they still manage to include these things WITH the useless information people seek- they have a page that reports, in small tidbits, on celebrity stuff, and they don't focus on it at ALL in the rest of the magazine. That magazine, just this week, actually reported on useful things.
Another thing I've found, although it only focuses on American politics, is redblueamerica.com. That website invites open discussion from both parties on political issues, and though it doesn't focus on a great deal of things I'd like to hear (because it isn't really a news establishment), it is a great place to find out about the intellectuals on both sides of the party line.
Freestanding stuff like that is the safest place to get good information, because when intelligent yet everyday people get sick of hearing only the crappy stuff in the media, they're more liable to do something about it themselves. If we wait around for the media to make a change, nothing's going to happen. Unlike TIME Magazine, they're not going to downsize their gossip sections. Although that is a wise decision to make - because it still gives people what they want, except now it gives that to more people.
I also think that there is one more respectable media publication you've overlooked - the New York Times, which writes articles that encompass far more than just the local news. We get it at our house, and like it more than the Denver Post, which sucks.
As much as i'd love to contribute to the conversation, i really have little more to say than that i completely agree with both of you. People are aiming for ratings now to the extent that any new gossip for white trash is deemed more important and "news-worthy" then things that actually effect life. Cheney took a trip to Iraq, and instead of reporting that the news aired a story about a family who's dog ran away (true story: both events occured about 2 days ago). While i'm not saying Cheney's little venture is important or "news-worthy," i am saying that it's far more influential to real events than a dog running away.
Exactly. And then the problem is that so many people actually WANT this stuff. Basically, the news IS always broadcasting news - it's just the news that wins airtime by popular demand. Not everyone cares enough or wants to be involved enough to listen to broadcasts about real world issues - instead, they want the gossip. But instead of going to gossip magazines for that, they now expect their local news source to give them that information.
The worst part about it is that what information we do get is usually so warped and twisted that we can never be sure it's the truth. You can hear 5 different editions of the same story by looking at 5 or 6 different current-events sources, whether they're newspapers or news channels. It's really rare lately for the media to tell it like it is. Which is why so many people end up with the wrong opinions, based on the wrong facts, handed out by the wrong people.
jacob i hate to break it to you but MOST (not all) americans are arrogant ,ignorant and half-caring individuals who dont give a damn about anything execpt what famous people are doing so they can mimic their actions in an attempt to look kool. also people dont need to report on tiger woods as kool as he is he always wins so why bother saying that he wins
I agree with the Cheft in some ways, but not in others... it sounds to me like he's describing the classic American stereotype. I mean, some of us are like that, it's true, but some people of EVERY country are apathetic and lazy and only want to know about celebrities, too. There are plenty of people (I mean, look at us! And we're only teenagers!) who are more interested in the news and current events than they are in Britney's latest pregnancy or whatever the hell she's gone and screwed up this time. It's just that there are MORE people who want information about celebrities, and the news caters to popular demand so that they'll get more viewers/listeners, just like any other TV show or band.
And that's another thing. You're totally right, Cheft, about the redundancy of the media. Everyone knows that Tiger Woods almost always wins, so really it's unnecessary to take up space with information about that. Everyone knows that Britney and Lindsay and all those hollywood divas are sluts, so why do we need more news about the latest scandalous thing they've done on a long list of scandalous things?
MOST people of EVERY country, are lazy, apathetic, sheep who care only to watch people who they hope to emulate. they need the structure and direction of a rolemodel, but rather than emulate someone like mae jemison, or al gore, people instead decide (subconsciously, as the actual decision is made by their own lack of willpower) that the only thing they can do is keep an eye on the people who they view as better than them, and keep sitting on their fat asses. it's not just americans, it's everybody. obviously, there are exceptions, for instance i doubt people in Iran or East Timor give a shit about ANY celebrities (let alone american ones) but laziness and apathy to what's actually going on in the world around them tend to be the rule rather than the exception. and as to the redundancy of the "news:" i've said it before and i'll say it again: all the blonde whores look the same.
All the whores look generally the same, blonde or not. And they all act generally the same, too - with absolutely terrible judgment and no foresight whatsoever.
The problem with this, of course, is that everything Americans watch is filled with bad role models. So more and more of us are emulating the actions of a particularly idiotic group of individuals. Celebrities and average citizens have become too similar for comfort - it's just the celebrities that get looked at, frankly, because they're hot and famous and whatever the hell else makes them more important than the rest of us.
What also sucks is that intelligent people like the ones you mentioned get very little credit for their discoveries. Or, when they do, they're written off as "uninteresting" or "brainiacs", and no one really pays any attention to their achievements when really those are far more important than any new movie or song.
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