Posts
I hate leaving my blog unattended for too long. However, despite the hype that technology is portable, things happen and wi-fi connections are not as common as one might think. In addition, my lack of acumen using my wife's laptop had me neglecting to hit the switch activating my wi-fi reception, or I would have had a post up, Saturday.
Seeing that it's March, we find ourselves once more, basking in the surreal sunshine of Florida, catching the Wheaton baseball version of spring training, this year located in Port Charlotte.
While I'll spare readers all the interesting details, at least for now, I'll list a few thoughts/items that I've enjoyed since flying out, last Thursday.
Good Books (Jonathan Franzen, Jacob Slichter)
GMBO 8
Baum's going 2-4, with two well-stroked doubles
Englewood Beach (Despite a $68.50 parking ticket)
A stylin' villa, replete with a daily visit from an alligator who roams the canal out back
The opportunity to do some writing purely for the sake of writing
In my way of thinking, a good vacation allows the opportunity for relaxation and some downtime from technology and the ever-present invasion of television, computers and cell phones. Despite this nod to the microchip, I've been pretty much "disconnected" from much of the chatter of post-modern life. Amazingly, the world still rolls on.
Monday, March 13, 2006
Wednesday, March 08, 2006
Fear wins again!
USAPA II, unleashed on ordinary Americans
Despite all the feigned concern over renewal of USAPA (USA Patriot Act), when it came time to vote, most of our elected officials knuckled under. A few representatives held firm and refused to go along for the ride, such as Russ Feingold (and Maine’s own Reps. Allen and Michaud), but Bush and his fascist tendencies once again received the validation and support of his minions and the supposed opposition.
Over the past year, or more, one of the few voices of real outrage (not the entertainment-driven, counterfeit kind of most talk jocks) on the radio dial has been that of Air America’s Mike Malloy. Malloy, normally relegated to the late night shift at America’s only national progressive talk affiliate, has been subbing for Randi Rhodes, this past week. Rhodes, who occupies the coveted 3-6 slot, nationwide, is a firebrand in her own unique way. I was curious if Malloy, drawn out of the shadows of late night radio, would tone his rhetoric down. Au contraire! He’s been his usual, caustic self, lambasting the “Bush crime family” for all of America to hear. I’m sure there are a few surprised Air America listeners shaking their heads and scandalized by Mike’s use of the term “sons of a bitches” (of which he’s apologized several times, forgetting the young tikes in the mini-vans of America, being transported by soccer moms, at this time of day).
The easy passage of USAPA goes right along with what people like Malloy, columnists (and bloggers) such as Josh Marshall and of course, Counterpunch and many other true progressive and alternative media outlets have been warning about. The steady erosion of civil liberties and freedoms, fueled by fear, all in the name of fighting terror is a bogus construct, but as I’ve touched upon of late, is virtually blacked out by mainstream news. As a result, most Americans happily run about their miserable little lives, given to purchasing the latest big screen HD TV, oblivious to the dismantling of their country, one liberty at a time.
If you can’t stay up late, then do yourself a favor and tune in today and tomorrow, before they send Malloy back to his usual isolated spot, late nights on Air America. If nothing else, you’ll actually see someone who doesn’t resort to irony and the 20-something catchphrase of “whatever” to deal with the crypto-fascists run amok in our land. He’s pissed, unapologetic and determined to slap some sense into as many people as he can. He doesn’t sugarcoat it, or promise a happy ending, either. He’s not an entertainer; he’s what talk radio used to be, back before drug addicts like Limbaugh, pretty boys like Hannity and serial gropers the likes of O’Reilly, polluted the public airwaves. It's a shame there isn't a way to get him on even more stations. Of course, Clear Channel and other corporate media whores aren't going to allow the likes of Malloy and other progressives a wider hearing. Conservatives derive great glee in taunting progressives about their lack of access, but I think it speaks volumes about the state of media and the selling of America, and how the FCC has turned over our airwaves to right-wing rogues.
This will probably be my last salvo for a bit, as I’ll be away from regular internet access for much of the next week. I’ll try to throw something up, if I can, but I’m not making any promises.
Despite all the feigned concern over renewal of USAPA (USA Patriot Act), when it came time to vote, most of our elected officials knuckled under. A few representatives held firm and refused to go along for the ride, such as Russ Feingold (and Maine’s own Reps. Allen and Michaud), but Bush and his fascist tendencies once again received the validation and support of his minions and the supposed opposition.
Over the past year, or more, one of the few voices of real outrage (not the entertainment-driven, counterfeit kind of most talk jocks) on the radio dial has been that of Air America’s Mike Malloy. Malloy, normally relegated to the late night shift at America’s only national progressive talk affiliate, has been subbing for Randi Rhodes, this past week. Rhodes, who occupies the coveted 3-6 slot, nationwide, is a firebrand in her own unique way. I was curious if Malloy, drawn out of the shadows of late night radio, would tone his rhetoric down. Au contraire! He’s been his usual, caustic self, lambasting the “Bush crime family” for all of America to hear. I’m sure there are a few surprised Air America listeners shaking their heads and scandalized by Mike’s use of the term “sons of a bitches” (of which he’s apologized several times, forgetting the young tikes in the mini-vans of America, being transported by soccer moms, at this time of day).
The easy passage of USAPA goes right along with what people like Malloy, columnists (and bloggers) such as Josh Marshall and of course, Counterpunch and many other true progressive and alternative media outlets have been warning about. The steady erosion of civil liberties and freedoms, fueled by fear, all in the name of fighting terror is a bogus construct, but as I’ve touched upon of late, is virtually blacked out by mainstream news. As a result, most Americans happily run about their miserable little lives, given to purchasing the latest big screen HD TV, oblivious to the dismantling of their country, one liberty at a time.
If you can’t stay up late, then do yourself a favor and tune in today and tomorrow, before they send Malloy back to his usual isolated spot, late nights on Air America. If nothing else, you’ll actually see someone who doesn’t resort to irony and the 20-something catchphrase of “whatever” to deal with the crypto-fascists run amok in our land. He’s pissed, unapologetic and determined to slap some sense into as many people as he can. He doesn’t sugarcoat it, or promise a happy ending, either. He’s not an entertainer; he’s what talk radio used to be, back before drug addicts like Limbaugh, pretty boys like Hannity and serial gropers the likes of O’Reilly, polluted the public airwaves. It's a shame there isn't a way to get him on even more stations. Of course, Clear Channel and other corporate media whores aren't going to allow the likes of Malloy and other progressives a wider hearing. Conservatives derive great glee in taunting progressives about their lack of access, but I think it speaks volumes about the state of media and the selling of America, and how the FCC has turned over our airwaves to right-wing rogues.
This will probably be my last salvo for a bit, as I’ll be away from regular internet access for much of the next week. I’ll try to throw something up, if I can, but I’m not making any promises.
Saturday, March 04, 2006
Focusing on the wrong stories
As mentioned in my previous post, there are many news stories that go unreported, or receive inadequate coverage in comparison to their importance. While the “war on terror” is all the rage, guaranteed to fan the flames of fear and keep us all docile to Big Brother, a more serious threat, global warming, receives woefully inadequate coverage.
While anecdotally, many people sense that something’s seriously whacked with our weather, most prefer not to mention global warming, hoping that it will go away. Friends, let me tell you, whether our media acknowledges it and racks it according to its potential to change life as we know it, or not, we face some serious consequences unless we drastically change our behavior, before it’s too late. Burying our heads in the sand, or tilting at goblins won't cut it, either.
While I don’t qualify as a graybeard, yet (maybe salt ‘n pepper), I’ve lived long enough to know that this winter has been the strangest I’ve experienced in my 44 years on the planet. January days of 50 degree weather and shirtsleeves, people raking leaves rather than shoveling snow and meteorologists verifying that the month's temperatures have been the second-warmest on record for the northeast. Interestingly, this winter of no snow follows last year’s record breaking snowfalls on the Cape and other places. In fact, a map produced by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration shows temperatures above average all over the U.S.
Roger Harrabin, an environmental correspondent for the BBC reports that scientists will soon announce that only greenhouse gas emissions can account for the freakish weather that’s been experienced across the globe.
While our president paid lip service to alternative energy in his last state of the union address, he’s rigorously refused to accept any targets set for the reduction of U.S. CO2 emissions. Even the British, despite Prime Minister Blair’s call for new technologies, are resistant to force business to drastically reduce their CO2 output.
None of this bodes well for the long-term, war on terror, or not.
While anecdotally, many people sense that something’s seriously whacked with our weather, most prefer not to mention global warming, hoping that it will go away. Friends, let me tell you, whether our media acknowledges it and racks it according to its potential to change life as we know it, or not, we face some serious consequences unless we drastically change our behavior, before it’s too late. Burying our heads in the sand, or tilting at goblins won't cut it, either.
While I don’t qualify as a graybeard, yet (maybe salt ‘n pepper), I’ve lived long enough to know that this winter has been the strangest I’ve experienced in my 44 years on the planet. January days of 50 degree weather and shirtsleeves, people raking leaves rather than shoveling snow and meteorologists verifying that the month's temperatures have been the second-warmest on record for the northeast. Interestingly, this winter of no snow follows last year’s record breaking snowfalls on the Cape and other places. In fact, a map produced by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration shows temperatures above average all over the U.S.
Roger Harrabin, an environmental correspondent for the BBC reports that scientists will soon announce that only greenhouse gas emissions can account for the freakish weather that’s been experienced across the globe.
While our president paid lip service to alternative energy in his last state of the union address, he’s rigorously refused to accept any targets set for the reduction of U.S. CO2 emissions. Even the British, despite Prime Minister Blair’s call for new technologies, are resistant to force business to drastically reduce their CO2 output.
None of this bodes well for the long-term, war on terror, or not.
Narrowness, rather than bias
Regardless of where you fall on the political spectrum, there is a tendency to blame media bias for the perceived lack of “balanced” coverage coming from mainstream news sources. While I wouldn’t discount bias entirely from the media, I don’t think it plays any significant role in the lack of objective, or even thorough coverage of news stories.
Rather than bias, I think the “narrowness” of the news spectrum is a much bigger factor and one that tends to be lacking from even the more nuanced discussions of the news and/or media coverage of events. By narrowness, I’m talking about the specific framework, which dictates what news stories are acceptable and even, how news is supposed to be covered and disseminated.
In my opinion, the narrowness of the debate reflects more accurately, the subtle and not so subtle indoctrination that all Americans receive, which begins the day we are born. That indoctrination continues throughout school and is reinforced subtly by social norms and expected behavior when we reach adulthood.
As political philosopher, Jean Bethke Elshtain wrote in, Democracy on Trial (1995),
“Education is never outside a world of which politics—how human beings govern and order a way of life in common—is a necessary feature… Education always reflects a society’s views of what is excellent, worthy, and necessary. These reflections are not cast in cement like so many foundational stones; rather, they are refracted and reshaped over time as definitions, meanings and purposes change through democratic contestation. In this sense education is political, but being political is different from being directly and blatantly politicized— being made to serve interests and ends imposed by militant groups.”
If Elshtain is correct, and I would concur that she is, then it is possible to say that like education, the media also reflects a society’s view of what is excellent, worthy, and necessary. Rather than bias, per se, our news is shaped by what society accepts as acceptable. It is this which becomes the foundation of what then is transmitted as “truth.”
In addition to the spectrum of mainstream news being extremely narrow, most Americans receive the majority of their news from their local news affiliates. According to a Pew Research study, conducted in April of 2004, 54 percent of Americans get their news from local affiliates, 34 percent from network news and 38 percent from cable news sources. These percentages show an upward trend from previous polls, particularly related to both local news and cable. Additionally, 42 percent gather their news from their local newspaper and another 40 percent receive their daily updates via radio.
If you’ve spent any time watching local newscasts, this is scary. Not only are these 30 minute segments too brief to cover any stories in-depth, but that 30 minutes is also reduced significantly by commercials. Local newspapers have reduced staffs, receive more AP and other syndicated content and frequently short-change news content with cosmetic redesigns and other surface “improvements.”
Even “serious” news outlets such as NPR and Macneil-Lehrer have a narrow focus when it comes to reporting the news. While both of these sources of news are far superior to ideologically-driven programming coming from Fox, Clear Channel and other right-wing news talk operations, they still limit the stories that they cover.
One media research group that tracks news stories and gathers information about topics that are routinely ignored, is Project Censored, based out of Sonoma State University. By tracking news that is published in independent journals and newsletters, the group then compiles an annual list of 25 news stories of social significance that have been overlooked, under-reported, or self-censored by the country's major national news media.
For me, studies such as this clearly indicate that rather than purported bias, either liberal or conservative, the real issue on news and accessing truth, as difficult as that may be, comes down to not having others determine what is news, and what isn’t.
Take for instance this story, about Halliburton being awarded the contract to build domestic detention facilities. Track this story. See if your local newspaper picks up a Knight-Ridder feed or one from the AP, if one is available. It will probably be buried in the middle of the paper, on page 6, or 7, under national stories. This is just one example. There are numerous other “real news” stories that Project Censored has links to.
Along with Project Censored, Democracy Now regularly reports on stories that are conveniently omitted from nightly newscasts, local, and even national papers, or end up buried in papers like the New York Times, or the Washington Post.
Keeping track of what’s going on takes work, diligence, and a little bit of skill. Even then, the rapid pace of daily life, the distractions we’re bombarded with from entertainment and sports, as well as social conditioning make being a truth seeker, a difficult vocation.
**In addition to the resources used from Pew and Project Censored, the quote by Jean Bethke Elshtain was gathered from a blog post on PressThink, Jay Rosen's excellent media blog.
Rather than bias, I think the “narrowness” of the news spectrum is a much bigger factor and one that tends to be lacking from even the more nuanced discussions of the news and/or media coverage of events. By narrowness, I’m talking about the specific framework, which dictates what news stories are acceptable and even, how news is supposed to be covered and disseminated.
In my opinion, the narrowness of the debate reflects more accurately, the subtle and not so subtle indoctrination that all Americans receive, which begins the day we are born. That indoctrination continues throughout school and is reinforced subtly by social norms and expected behavior when we reach adulthood.
As political philosopher, Jean Bethke Elshtain wrote in, Democracy on Trial (1995),
“Education is never outside a world of which politics—how human beings govern and order a way of life in common—is a necessary feature… Education always reflects a society’s views of what is excellent, worthy, and necessary. These reflections are not cast in cement like so many foundational stones; rather, they are refracted and reshaped over time as definitions, meanings and purposes change through democratic contestation. In this sense education is political, but being political is different from being directly and blatantly politicized— being made to serve interests and ends imposed by militant groups.”
If Elshtain is correct, and I would concur that she is, then it is possible to say that like education, the media also reflects a society’s view of what is excellent, worthy, and necessary. Rather than bias, per se, our news is shaped by what society accepts as acceptable. It is this which becomes the foundation of what then is transmitted as “truth.”
In addition to the spectrum of mainstream news being extremely narrow, most Americans receive the majority of their news from their local news affiliates. According to a Pew Research study, conducted in April of 2004, 54 percent of Americans get their news from local affiliates, 34 percent from network news and 38 percent from cable news sources. These percentages show an upward trend from previous polls, particularly related to both local news and cable. Additionally, 42 percent gather their news from their local newspaper and another 40 percent receive their daily updates via radio.
If you’ve spent any time watching local newscasts, this is scary. Not only are these 30 minute segments too brief to cover any stories in-depth, but that 30 minutes is also reduced significantly by commercials. Local newspapers have reduced staffs, receive more AP and other syndicated content and frequently short-change news content with cosmetic redesigns and other surface “improvements.”
Even “serious” news outlets such as NPR and Macneil-Lehrer have a narrow focus when it comes to reporting the news. While both of these sources of news are far superior to ideologically-driven programming coming from Fox, Clear Channel and other right-wing news talk operations, they still limit the stories that they cover.
One media research group that tracks news stories and gathers information about topics that are routinely ignored, is Project Censored, based out of Sonoma State University. By tracking news that is published in independent journals and newsletters, the group then compiles an annual list of 25 news stories of social significance that have been overlooked, under-reported, or self-censored by the country's major national news media.
For me, studies such as this clearly indicate that rather than purported bias, either liberal or conservative, the real issue on news and accessing truth, as difficult as that may be, comes down to not having others determine what is news, and what isn’t.
Take for instance this story, about Halliburton being awarded the contract to build domestic detention facilities. Track this story. See if your local newspaper picks up a Knight-Ridder feed or one from the AP, if one is available. It will probably be buried in the middle of the paper, on page 6, or 7, under national stories. This is just one example. There are numerous other “real news” stories that Project Censored has links to.
Along with Project Censored, Democracy Now regularly reports on stories that are conveniently omitted from nightly newscasts, local, and even national papers, or end up buried in papers like the New York Times, or the Washington Post.
Keeping track of what’s going on takes work, diligence, and a little bit of skill. Even then, the rapid pace of daily life, the distractions we’re bombarded with from entertainment and sports, as well as social conditioning make being a truth seeker, a difficult vocation.
**In addition to the resources used from Pew and Project Censored, the quote by Jean Bethke Elshtain was gathered from a blog post on PressThink, Jay Rosen's excellent media blog.
Wednesday, March 01, 2006
A rap for understanding
I know for many liberals, public radio is sacred and above reproach, or criticism. I’ve had too many conversations with so-called progressives that began with an indictment of mainstream news sources, only to be asked, “do you listen to public radio,” as if that solved the problem.
For me, public radio of the NPR variety is a fallback; something I listen to when I can’t find anything else on the dial. I will listen to certain segments of their programming, like Maine Things Considered, although of late, even Maine-based news seems to be lacking anything more than a business-friendly veneer to the stories reported. I do enjoy Terry Gross (one of the best interviewers anywhere, IMHO) and Fresh Air; I wish our own affiliates would carry Amy Goodman’s Democracy Now program.
Yesterday, while driving to an appointment, I caught the type of programming that I wish was the norm, rather than the all-too-infrequent exception. Alternative Radio carried Michael Eric Dyson’s Hip-hop Culture and the Legacy of Tupac Shakur. I had heard an earlier promo for this and made a mental note, mostly out of curiosity, to try to listen in. The busyness of life drove it from my thoughts, but sheer coincidence and time and my car intersected, allowing me to catch most of this 60 minute broadcast.
Let me first say that compared to my knowledge of the history of popular forms of music, such as rock, pop, and even less popular genres like jazz and blues, I know very little about rap or hip-hop. Other than the more political raps that I’ve heard from Public Enemy and Michael Franti, I'd say my knowledge of this musical form is surface, at best.
For someone like me, Dyson’s academic presentation, mixed with his own obvious love of rap and hip-hop, and his keen ability to rap and quote lyric after lyric from the past 20 or so years of hip-hop, was truly amazing. It’s rare to hear this type of programming anywhere except low-power FM and some community-based stations. Dyson’s historical perspective, political understanding and sympathetic treatment of Shakur revealed a totally different character than I’d been conditioned to view him as. It made me realize that I have a lot to learn about this branch music and culture. From Shakur’s roots, informed by Reaganomics and the accompanying poverty he experienced, Dyson’s presentation cast Shakur in a much different light than he was often portrayed by the press and the music industry. Dyson's talk was informative for the honest and refreshing way that he was able to demystify Shakur, who like many performers and cultural icons, ends up misrepresented, most often to cultivate an image, which will then be exploited through marketing.
I never knew that Shakur was deeply influenced by Shakepeare and aspired to be an actor. He was also a voracious reader, who read widely and across disciplines, even though he had dropped out of school. With Dyson deftly deconstructing his lyrics, for the first time, I saw Shakur as not some gansta thug wannabe, a cardboard caricature created by the pop culture machine--but someone who was a human being--a complex and intelligent performer and overtly political in his songwriting, not the
Despite some of my concerns about public radio, it still provides opportunities for alternative viewpoints. Of course, I’d be happy to see more segments like yesterday afternoon’s outstanding hour of programming.
For me, public radio of the NPR variety is a fallback; something I listen to when I can’t find anything else on the dial. I will listen to certain segments of their programming, like Maine Things Considered, although of late, even Maine-based news seems to be lacking anything more than a business-friendly veneer to the stories reported. I do enjoy Terry Gross (one of the best interviewers anywhere, IMHO) and Fresh Air; I wish our own affiliates would carry Amy Goodman’s Democracy Now program.
Yesterday, while driving to an appointment, I caught the type of programming that I wish was the norm, rather than the all-too-infrequent exception. Alternative Radio carried Michael Eric Dyson’s Hip-hop Culture and the Legacy of Tupac Shakur. I had heard an earlier promo for this and made a mental note, mostly out of curiosity, to try to listen in. The busyness of life drove it from my thoughts, but sheer coincidence and time and my car intersected, allowing me to catch most of this 60 minute broadcast.
Let me first say that compared to my knowledge of the history of popular forms of music, such as rock, pop, and even less popular genres like jazz and blues, I know very little about rap or hip-hop. Other than the more political raps that I’ve heard from Public Enemy and Michael Franti, I'd say my knowledge of this musical form is surface, at best.
For someone like me, Dyson’s academic presentation, mixed with his own obvious love of rap and hip-hop, and his keen ability to rap and quote lyric after lyric from the past 20 or so years of hip-hop, was truly amazing. It’s rare to hear this type of programming anywhere except low-power FM and some community-based stations. Dyson’s historical perspective, political understanding and sympathetic treatment of Shakur revealed a totally different character than I’d been conditioned to view him as. It made me realize that I have a lot to learn about this branch music and culture. From Shakur’s roots, informed by Reaganomics and the accompanying poverty he experienced, Dyson’s presentation cast Shakur in a much different light than he was often portrayed by the press and the music industry. Dyson's talk was informative for the honest and refreshing way that he was able to demystify Shakur, who like many performers and cultural icons, ends up misrepresented, most often to cultivate an image, which will then be exploited through marketing.
I never knew that Shakur was deeply influenced by Shakepeare and aspired to be an actor. He was also a voracious reader, who read widely and across disciplines, even though he had dropped out of school. With Dyson deftly deconstructing his lyrics, for the first time, I saw Shakur as not some gansta thug wannabe, a cardboard caricature created by the pop culture machine--but someone who was a human being--a complex and intelligent performer and overtly political in his songwriting, not the
Despite some of my concerns about public radio, it still provides opportunities for alternative viewpoints. Of course, I’d be happy to see more segments like yesterday afternoon’s outstanding hour of programming.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)