As funny as the comedy shows The Colbert Report or The Daily Show are, and they are quite funny, there is a certain depth in these shows that makes you think. Unlike 'real' news, which squishes real stories into tiny 5 minutes-or-less time slots in between a family whose house was destroyed by a tree or a lost dog being reunited with his 12 year-old owner; is this real news? Does this kind of feel-good news make you think? Even stories about Virginia Tech were feel-good stories! 17 people were shot and killed, and instead of focusing on the stupidity of the administration and security, we focus our attention on the funeral, on mourning for those who were could. That's all well and good, and I truly sympathize, but there is a bigger problem when that is ALL that is focused on.
17 college students, just like you and me, were locked in a room with a killer, and waited to be killed. Cattle wait to be killed. We are at war, and yet we have people, the future of our nation, waiting, hoping, to be the next one to get a bullet in the back of the head. If this isn't funny, I don't know what is. This is palpable to Jonathan Swift's A Modest Proposal.
Some shows, specials usually, will show an audience shocking images of some of the most terrible college, business, public crimes, and people are frightened. There's no unification against such abomination, why is that? Some will feel outrage, some will cry and hug friends and family, and other's think 'this'll never happen to me.' But what do most of us actually do? Nothing.
This genre of supposed 'fake news' is the only real connection with new ideas, and new ideas require people to take action. Think, it doesn't matter if you're liberal or conservative, it's all you've got to do. For 30 minutes all you have to do is laugh and think. Get a friend into a discussion on something. Try watching real news and doing the same thing. There's so much extraneous crap that the real issues, the new ideas, get covered up by little johnny learning how to throw a baseball. There's a problem with information nowadays. We've set up a giant network for the exchange and introduction of new information, yet half of all Americans can't find New York State on a map...I was stunned and sad when I learned that fact was real, not by watching the news, but by watching a fictional television show, and then looking up background research on the net.
Sadly, nothing will happen now because people are slow. Reading electronics articles I see predictions for new devices in the future and wonder, 'why aren't we just developing these now?' I'm no expert, but if the ideas are there, why not jump ahead and pour more effort into developing less expensive, faster, smalled, etc. models of systems we already have? If money is the problem, I'm sure the U.S. can withstand another trillion dollars in debt. The here and now seem to be years away. News shows report the problems and yet, years after hurricane Katrina struck in New Orleans, they're still rebuilding. But what news coverage is there on New Orleans today, how much public attention is the reconstruction getting? Hundreds of thousands of people are still without homes, and I don't even have to talk about New Orleans for that to be a fact.
News isn't news if it doesn't force new ideas into our heads and make us act on those ideas. Maybe some do, but the majority doesn't. At least 'fake news' gets new ideas into our heads.
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2 comments:
You're not in my group, but your blog was absolutely amazing. You alone, made me look at certain past, major events from a different standpoint. Especially the virginia Tech tragedy. In im opion, you truly draw a strong point across:us as the viewers tend to be stuck within the shock or mourning process instead of really thinking about what should be done so a specific tragedy can never happen again.
I love your post. I agree 100% with how real news does not make you think as much as the fake news. I tried to get at this same point as you in my post but I know I did not captured it as well, mostly I focused on stating audience,stance,purpose and design. Also it is very true that when you watch these fake news programs that they make you want to research them online and find out the truth or the whole truth.
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