I can't say that I am an American anymore, even though I was born here and haven't left much. It just doesn't fit me anymore to think of myself as an American when we live in a country where everything is an illusion.
Take for example, this bullshit that is going on with newsweek. It seems like every week there is yet another lesson in how absurdly stupid our government is--and I don't mean just in the national spotlight, but locally as well. This Newsweek bit takes the cake because like so many other instances, the media machine is too chicken shit of covering the real story because they will catch too much shit from the people that pay their bills.
I keep getting asked why I don't go into journalism and I will use my little plot in cyberspace to tell you all why--because I believe in my common man. I wouldn't cut it as a journalist because I think higher than the 6th grade reading level that you have to write toward. I have too much belief that our forefathers thought of wise things like gun control because they knew that society was bound to become the way it is today. I believe that they meant to write legislation protecting the freedom of the press because they knew people George W. Bush were going to do things that the public should be aware of. Perhaps stirring up a fair share of conspiricy theory in this country might do it some good, given the pure shit that we are dealing with in an age where information is shared at the speed of light....
BUT WHAT INFORMATION?
That Lindsey Lohan might be a little plumper than Paris Hilton.. DUH
That Everybody Loves Raymond is not getting as much love as previously thought.
That Newsweek caused deaths and riots in Afghanistan because of the following senatance:
Reports show that torture devices such as throwing the Koran down the toilet are being used on prisoners in Abu Grabe (however you spell it).
All of this is just bullshit. People arent rioting because of Newsweek-they are rioting because they are sick of the US and its policies which it doesnt even follow.
Then there is the local shit. They refuse to cover how shitty the job market is in Seattle. Instead the republicans are playing this game called, We want to be Govenor!
I am just going to stop--I am about to go to bed for the night and now I am developing a headache--either because of this torrential rain we are getting (but remember, we are in a drought) or because this shit doesn't matter to anyone because when it is all said done, we, the Americans, the people who work to pay our taxes and save up to buy IPod's, we are the ones being handed this bullshit to deal with and the Bush and DeLay's of the world are sleeping in their comfortable homes, passing a $500 dollar a plate dinner through their black souls.
Send me to jail for speaking my mind about these "public servants", at least I wont have to pay rent anymore.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
1 comment:
What you are talking about today on today's blog isn't typically american. it is rather a problem within most industrialized states today.
With the risk of sounding like fox news but the great thing about american and the westernized world is that you can say these things w/o getting shot.
I seriously love freedom of speech because it allows anyone regardless of how stupid their opinions are to be voiced. And to further argue with you. the reason people are rioting is not only because of u.s. policy. it is because the lack of information and freedom of speech. where their leaders minimize the information given to them. Which in essence cause a lack of understanding. just like joe six-pack hates the french because he didn't understand the tours around UNSC but only listened to Fox news.
It's nothing new really. back in the days it was discrediting someone elses religion in an even more violent way. christianity for example was a compromise based on greek mythology.
Yesterday we limited the information about Russia and the Soviet Union. The difference is that the U.S. and the western world learned from the McCarthy hearings and freedom of speech prevailed due to checks and balances. In Russia and communist states id didn't and these states are even yet today struggeling with the freedom of information.
Even today the remains from the cold war are demonizing the west. North Korean and Cuban school kids learn that America is the devil. Is the United States to blame for a lot of this? Yes? Is the current U.S. administration causing problems further down ther road? Probably. But it is important that what we see today is something that we need to hold our former leaders accountable for. Not always the current. What also needs to be taken into consideration is the times where this policy was shaped.
In regards to the case of Newsweek and wether the aticle was true or not is not important. What is important is two things. 1. the article served a purpose for the anit-american groups where they limited the information to the demonstrators. I am almost certain that 98% of the demonstrators hadn't read the article and that there were more rumors about other things than actually stated in the article. 2. Most protesters would've found another reason to protest, and to related. It might have been about something completley different.
As for foreign policy and pop culture. One of the top news in Israel today is how the wife of a top ranked foreign official was upset because she didn't get her picture taken with Madonna as shwe visited Israel in a private matter last year. Consequentley this has weakend U.S.-Israeli relations during the last couple of weeks. Which might very well end with a very competent diplomat getting fired from his post with the ministry.
So, all in all pop culture is everywhere. And regardless if you are in the U.S, Israel or Sweden the great massess will always seek for something they can relate to. Not what is happening in some foreign country far, far away. And if they are to related it needs to be simplyfied as a majority don't find the strength to follow an event that has unfolded during the last 50 years. But something they can understand in under 1 minute.
OK, enough with the ranting. I like the blog and it's a good alternative to all the other junk floating around.
/Christian
Post a Comment