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OP-ED: Barack, Britney, Rudy And Anna Nicole »

Posted by: stephen-johnson 2 years, 9 months ago

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Much of what we call entertainment isn't. It is, rather, gossip and voyeurism pertaining to celebrities who may or may not be entertainers...Similarly, much of what we call politics isn't. The zany scrutiny of Mitt, Rudy, McCain, Hillary, Barack and Edwards 18 months before the 2008 election is gossip, fantasy and voyeurism masquerading as serious

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stephen-johnson

Out to lunch without a sandwich

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Comments: 8

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stephen-johnson
March 2, 2007, 10:27 a.m.
"We in the media and political clique are righteous. "
"We think it's sick the way cable TV exploits the Britney Meltdown. And we think what is happening in Campaign '08 right now is Very Important. And, well, yeah, it is important. It does matter who the next president is - duh. "
Bingo!
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deathray
March 2, 2007, 10:27 a.m.
Amen. Investigative journalism sees to be a dying art, mostly through neglect and defunding, and it's a shame. We've replaced fact with opinion, and policy with personality.
There was a great show about this very topic on Frontline last week.
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Mintyfunk
March 2, 2007, 11:37 a.m.
The shame is that it has become more about the campaigning than the actual governing that these individuals were elected to do. We get more hyperbole and less effectiveness. We see politicians trying to nuance every action to some political gain and good legislation shot down or sidelined because the other party didn't think of it first or the wrong person might look good if it passes. Politicicians need to start thinking about the good of the country before the good of thier campaigns or parties.
(and I managed this tirade without referencing either party, how impressive is that!)
catstevensComment has been removed: User banned.
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cleare
March 2, 2007, 3:51 p.m.
one of the most thoughtful op-eds on media i've read in a long time.
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ETproductions
March 3, 2007, 2:51 a.m.
Ask an average American what political agenda matters most to them. The likely answer is Education.
Look at where they put their money. Teachers get $35,000 a year. Entertainers and sports heroes get $35,000,000. What do we REALLY care about. Look where we put our money. We care about entertaining ourselves.
Thus Anna Nicole, who was famous for not doing anything well, is big news. Her boobacious life and predictable meltdown entertain us. Political sniping is news. It entertains us. Things that actually inform us aren't fun.
The only cure is real education. And that's not likely to happen because a stupid, insipid populace is MUCH easier for the politicos in charge to manage and bend to their will. The more that "no child left behind" can dumb down the American populace, the better for those in charge.