How Dumb Should the Media Be?

The question of how to report to an often ignorant audience is a serious one. Each network has their own style, and as Jon Stewart illustrates in the above clip, they tend to set their sights on the lowest common denominator. This does the people a disservice. It gives viewers the impression that their ignorance is ok, the norm, or even desirable.

From a ratings standpoint, this makes sense. People who are more afraid of appearing ignorant than being ignorant flock to such shows. They are easily directed and stirred to action. This spreads not only the ignorance, but the desire in other media to appeal to this audience. The result is a saturation of media with dumb content, while creating a divide between between itself and the more intellectual providers that becomes too intimidating to cross.

We should endeavor to provide content that is a bit beyond the average viewer, to encourage them to better themselves, and to give them what they came for: information they didn’t already know.

Dirty Public Official

If you’ve ever wondered who is at fault for the problems in this country, see the above video for a prime example (no not Maddow, she’s just snarky). I can’t imagine why Steve Buyer went on her show. He must have thought he was a good enough lier that the shame wouldn’t show through, or that he could talk his way through any questions that might come up. What a disgusting thing public service has come to.

Kucinich on Unlimited Resources for War

The above video is the Congressional equivalent of haiku. Rarely will you hear a politician make his point in under a minute. I like Kucinich. He seems like one of the more honest politicians we still have in office, not mired in dirty money and partisanship.

For reference, our Defense spending is greater than that of the entire rest of the world combined. Over 650 billion in 2009. We spend more on meddling in other countries than we do looking after our own.

Mancow Waterboarded

Mancow is a conservative radio host who has been critical of waterboarding. This guy is a bit too much of a publicity hound for me to consider him to have any serious convictions, but this is huge in a  symbolic way.  Nobody makes windbags like conservative hosts, from Limpbaugh toCoulter, to Hannity (who actually volunteered to be waterboarded when challenged by Olbermann, and then chickened out, even after an offer of two thousand dollars a second donated to a charity for the troops(video below)). I’ve been waiting for one of them to finally have the balls to do it. Mancow made it six seconds. The bar has been set. This video should circulate until the big names either try it or change their tune. It is one thing to think of torture as ok. As much as I disagree with the position, it is valid. To claim we are just splashing some water on their faces, and that it isn’t torture,  while being so obviously terrified of it is hypocrisy of the worst kind.

Update: Olberman came through! He donated ten grand because Mancow manned up were Hannity couldn’t.

Tinfoil Hat Tuneup

The above video is a Ted Talk by Dan Ariely. He walks us through some deeply ingrained psychological flaws in the human mind, and how easily they are manipulated. What he shows here have some deep implications for the manipulation of the electorate. The next time you are headed to the voting booth, think about this video; think about what choices you are being given, and whether they are really choices at all, or merely the illusion of avoiding a more negative option placed there as bait.

Or, you could hunt down the phone book, call up your local bookstore, and see if they have Dan Ariely’s book.

Or you could get it on amazon: Predictably Irrational: The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions by Dan Ariely

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