Saturday, May 16, 2009

It's Pasty McStrangelove to Block


(h/t Digby)

You could search the whole teevee wasteland and not find a more visually perfect metaphor for why we need a Truth and Retribution Committee to open a whole separate suite of hearings on why our media is so toxically top-heavy with swine: the one guy who has the facts -- David Waldman -- outnumbered, shunted off to a CNN webcast, and literally girded on three sides by the three sock puppets bleating the three eternally favorite flavors of wingnut denialism:

1. Fake outrage over some trivial aspect of a horrendous story (whining like a titty baby over the fucking choice of metaphor.)

2. You hateses the troopses you Liberal troop hater!

3. You are some fringe nut, out of step with Real Murricans (Our slanted polls show that no one cares!)


Waldman does a terrific job, but it underscores just how much of a train wreck our media has become that when faced with the job of comprehending and analyzing what is potentially the most important new information about the Iraq War in years, the best they can manage is stuff it into a webcast of bobble-head Hollywood Squares.

5 comments:

The Minstrel Boy said...

the consolidation of ownership in media is what i expect is to blame.

we saw it first with music, mainly on account of that's my side of the industry, when corporate entities were allowed to own more than one outlet per market, playlists, shows, and almost all operations became concentrated at corporate headquarters.

dj's became a thing of the past as the operation became a tech throwing a switch to start a syndicated feed from somewhere.

instead of the mighty 690 giving us a surf report in time to ditch the rest of the high school day, radio is now down to seven real owners.

it amazes me that the ones who scream "free markets yo!" are the same ones who engineer consolidations that would warm the cockles of the most hardened stalinist commisar.

Unknown said...

Blame game? It's fairly simple..the corporate media is out to get us. seriously...

Thanks for this vid Drifty..gotta put it up on ye olde group blog.

Kathy said...

Although I don't think Obama campaigned on the promise of breaking up the Media Monopoly, I do hope he does so, and soon. Not long ago there were thousands of independent newspapers, radio stations and TV broadcasters. Now, how many? Seven was the number I read. Of course the Internet is a very powerful tool- and "they" are trying to restrict and control use of the internet. Constant vigilance is the price of freedom; forget that stupid "Tree of Freedom being watered with Blood."

Cirze said...

Come on, MB,

You know that screaming "free markets yo!" is the necessary precursor to precluding such.

Every time they say something like "life is precious," "people should support the troops," "people should pay their taxes," "people concerned about the Cheney/Bush torture policies are traitors" (need I go on?) it's evident on its face that they are just repeating Rethug talking points (lying) to their opposite effect for personal gain.

The takeover of the media was scheduled to happen before "W" stole the 2000 election. Those who expect Obama to change this situation much are ignoring his current appointments. He will change things around the perimeter, but real change must come from below. The current insiders see no percentage in change. And most of us now realize that we have no idea how much Obama was actually our candidate at all.

Take a look at Terry McAuliffe running for Gov. of VA as a Democrat. The most ironic part of his candidacy is what it says about a campaign being waged in a state that gave Hillary (one of his biggest supporters) very few votes. Making one wonder what he's really positioning himself for. What a laugh at the expense of "change" voters.

Just sayin'.

S

Mnitoban said...

Excuse the barnyard simile: Torture is like pigshit - no matter what you call it or how you explain it - pigshit smells the same