Tuesday, February 07, 2006
NPR still sucks
There is a particular species of blogger who stakes him or her claim as a 'moderate' via the argument that they 'get their news from both sides of the media.' Thus they may watch the O'reilly factor, but they they also listen to some public radio too. These folks lack the necessary amount of insight into how the world works to be a good citizen.
The other day I was visiting a website, and one of the commenters had a question regarding the initialisms for the various timezones. As I further into my day the problem there got to me. 'You've got the fucking internet dude. Wikipedia, google, ect. ect. one can find information on anything they don't understand in a matter of seconds . . .' That's both the boon and the burden of our generation. We can't be like the generations before who could say, 'well, that's what they told us in the papers and on the radio, how were we to know that was really going on?' We can see one bumper sticker on 'Bhopal' and with a google search learn more about how corporations work than even your more militant yippies could articulate a generation ago.
I'm to the point where I see no point in taking in much of the media produced by corporations and as propaganda for the ruling classes. I used to consume all kinds of it, thinking that I could understand how it was used and maybe even learn something; fantasizing that I'd call Dennis Praeger and with a few eloquent sentences turn his entire audience against him. It's all nonsense. The purpose of this media has nothing to do with informing citizens or helping us to understand the world - it's just a fucking noise machine. Each of us only has so hours of conscious life. We spend so many 'earning' our living. We spend another fair portion enjoying Love and Life, Sport and Sex; what few hours are left in a week for the duties of citizenship?
I agree with Harry Belefonte, why should anyone go on Fox News? Legitimizing that bullshit machine is a sinful act.
Take the snippet of 'conversation' I heard on public radio on my way home from the Y tonight. Axis Sally was interviewing a guest whom I havn't the slightest clue as to his identity. She posed a question as thus: "President Bush has made it clear that a major push for his adminstration is the promotion of democracy in the Middle East . . . blah blah blah, Hamas, blah, blah, blah, Iran . . ."
Only the stupidest individuals on the face of our planet actually think Mr. Bush has any interest in promoting democracy. His administration has given millions to support the overthrow of Hugo Chavez, because he's not the kind of leader they wanted elected. His administration assisted in the violent overthrow of Aristede from Haiti, a country that has suffered much at U.S. hands for her efforts at democracy - at her tragic efforts to be anything but a big fucking plantation in the carribian. Saudi Arabia, not a democracy; Bush holds hands with their crown prince. Pakistan, not a democracy even if the military dictator calls himself 'president', and they've got nukes and a poor track record on 'fighting terror.' Uzbekistan, has gotten hundreds of millions in our taxpayer dollars, they boil people to death in that little piece of hell. I should not need to go on. Iraq's election was largely a managed one, labor unions are still illegal there - and that's important when you want to fuck a people out of their rights and make sure the only way they interact in ethnically and religiously.
So the NPR (or maybe it was Minnesota Public Radio, like I said I only had it on for a minute) commentator should never have framed a question like that, since it is obviously bullshit. The guest should have corrected her for her ignorance or insertion of a talking point immediately, or else he is stained by the same sin. The thirty seconds I consumed before I turned the station to metal told me all I needed to know. That's a quick judgement, but it's right fucking on.
I hate what has happened to public radio in the last few years, even more so since only Bill Moyers had the nuts to say something about it, to resign and speak out. The rest of them are worthless.
The other day I was visiting a website, and one of the commenters had a question regarding the initialisms for the various timezones. As I further into my day the problem there got to me. 'You've got the fucking internet dude. Wikipedia, google, ect. ect. one can find information on anything they don't understand in a matter of seconds . . .' That's both the boon and the burden of our generation. We can't be like the generations before who could say, 'well, that's what they told us in the papers and on the radio, how were we to know that was really going on?' We can see one bumper sticker on 'Bhopal' and with a google search learn more about how corporations work than even your more militant yippies could articulate a generation ago.
I'm to the point where I see no point in taking in much of the media produced by corporations and as propaganda for the ruling classes. I used to consume all kinds of it, thinking that I could understand how it was used and maybe even learn something; fantasizing that I'd call Dennis Praeger and with a few eloquent sentences turn his entire audience against him. It's all nonsense. The purpose of this media has nothing to do with informing citizens or helping us to understand the world - it's just a fucking noise machine. Each of us only has so hours of conscious life. We spend so many 'earning' our living. We spend another fair portion enjoying Love and Life, Sport and Sex; what few hours are left in a week for the duties of citizenship?
I agree with Harry Belefonte, why should anyone go on Fox News? Legitimizing that bullshit machine is a sinful act.
Take the snippet of 'conversation' I heard on public radio on my way home from the Y tonight. Axis Sally was interviewing a guest whom I havn't the slightest clue as to his identity. She posed a question as thus: "President Bush has made it clear that a major push for his adminstration is the promotion of democracy in the Middle East . . . blah blah blah, Hamas, blah, blah, blah, Iran . . ."
Only the stupidest individuals on the face of our planet actually think Mr. Bush has any interest in promoting democracy. His administration has given millions to support the overthrow of Hugo Chavez, because he's not the kind of leader they wanted elected. His administration assisted in the violent overthrow of Aristede from Haiti, a country that has suffered much at U.S. hands for her efforts at democracy - at her tragic efforts to be anything but a big fucking plantation in the carribian. Saudi Arabia, not a democracy; Bush holds hands with their crown prince. Pakistan, not a democracy even if the military dictator calls himself 'president', and they've got nukes and a poor track record on 'fighting terror.' Uzbekistan, has gotten hundreds of millions in our taxpayer dollars, they boil people to death in that little piece of hell. I should not need to go on. Iraq's election was largely a managed one, labor unions are still illegal there - and that's important when you want to fuck a people out of their rights and make sure the only way they interact in ethnically and religiously.
So the NPR (or maybe it was Minnesota Public Radio, like I said I only had it on for a minute) commentator should never have framed a question like that, since it is obviously bullshit. The guest should have corrected her for her ignorance or insertion of a talking point immediately, or else he is stained by the same sin. The thirty seconds I consumed before I turned the station to metal told me all I needed to know. That's a quick judgement, but it's right fucking on.
I hate what has happened to public radio in the last few years, even more so since only Bill Moyers had the nuts to say something about it, to resign and speak out. The rest of them are worthless.
