Sometimes I think more about the pattern of discourse and communication of something rather than the content. One thing I've noticed is that shows like The Ed Show and Glenn Beck purport to be about the spreading of truth and the exposure of lies, but really they're about ego massaging. The hosts massage their egos and the viewers are sure that they're in on a special secret knowledge that so many blind and ignorant people are too stupid to see. The majority of conversations are built on straw man arguments and vile and misleading diatribes.
Luckily the viewership for a lot of these shows is on the decline. These things are all about ebb and flow and they cycle (see Sen. McCarthy and the Adams-Jefferson presidential race).
I just wish more people would turn the TV off.
Also, I know that I fall sometimes into the group of ego massagers. I also know that I at times fall into the secret knowledge viewership group.
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
Truth as an Outlier
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3 comments:
I'm just pleased that you lumped McCarthy and Glenn Beck into the same post.
;-)
and what a lump it is.
So true. Ironically, remember when I used to send out those ridiculous e-mails to all of 73rd ward with activities updates? Maybe you don't, and that would be a good thing. Anyway, every week I would put two new quotes at the bottom. One week I apparently quoted two polar opposite politicians. Chris C was the only one who noticed and he thought I did it on purpose to be hilarious. Oops:-)
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