"Fill the unforgiving minute with sixty seconds worth of distance run."
- Rudyard Kipling (1865-1936)
How much does watching todays news seem like a waste of time? At the conclusion of the program you have very little idea what happened in Washington or Richmond that day about things that affect the entire nation. You will know about what people think about long Black Friday lines, and holiday highway travel.
I watched a Russian news service the other night. It was about 45 minutes long, with no commercials. There was one anchor, and he read most of the stories (in English) in a calm voice. There was no fluff, no celebrity goofs, no joking about the topics between anchors. As I watched I couldn’t tell how he felt about what he was reporting one way or another. He just did his job and reported the news. Although it sounds boring it was quite addictive. As you absorbed what he was saying you formed your own opinion about it. Very refreshing.
I remember the news being like that early in my life. After dinner dad would sit and watch the news. We kids would be shushed and knew to play quietly or sit quietly until it was over. There were no flashy graphics or catchy banter between stories. The anchor delivered the news, be it Cronkite or one of the other newsmen of the time. I say newsmen because there were no women at the anchor level back then.
Even though there must have been shootings, muggings and terrible house fires at the time, you saw almost none of this. It was all national or local news that concerned a large portion of the populace. In talking to my elders they all say they knew more about what their elected officials did back then voting wise then they could ever hope to now. People actually watched, they wanted to learn what was happening in the world.
These days we would think this kind of news delivery would be boring, and advertisers and TV executives know it. Since news divisions have been subjugated to the entertainment department in most cases what gets into your local news is almost exclusively for shock value. That or a human-interest story designed to tug at those old heartstrings. Back when news was news that kind of thing would have been on Merv Griffith or the predecessor to Oprah. News executives want to keep you hooked throughout the program by dropping teasers of something yet to come after this commercial break. You might notice the weather report is never at the front of the news program.
In today’s world most people go to more then one source to get their news. I think that is a tribute to how bad news reporting has gotten in the last few decades. If you get the channel try watching the BBC one night. It is a great deal different then anything you might see on an American network. It covers mostly national or international topics, and there is rarely a fluff story thrown in. One reason for this may be the lack of any competition. Hopefully though it is because they consider it their job to inform; not entertain.
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
Thursday, November 22, 2007
Around and around we go...
"I criticize by creation - not by finding fault."
- Cicero (106-43 B.C.)
I spent last Tuesday night fighting a brush fire. It wasn’t my first time doing such a thing, but it was an unexpected way to kick off the holiday weekend. I spent many years of my life living in southern California where you have the biannual destruction of the vegetation and collection of the insurance payouts. It’s an amazing cycle of payola/rebirth/destruction. Ever since El Nino departed the area has been dried out by the time the Santa Anna winds arrive every year. At the drop of a match, flare, or cigarette it bursts into flames.
As I raked furiously at burning leaves I thought about the times out there when our entire town was threatened by brush fire. It makes people do strange things. You never know a person until you see how they react in a truly stressful situation. I remember riding around in my jeep delivering sandwiches and drinks to the water truck drivers with ash falling in thick globs like some sort of weird hot weather snowstorm. I almost got shot as a looter. The drivers appreciated it though as they spent two days trapped inside the town when the highway was closed in both directions. Nobody complained and nobody bitched, we were all there to help and people appreciated it.
Until the news crews and FEMA showed up. Then the story changed to “It was every man for himself!” and “Where was our government?” In a dress rehearsal for Katrina President Bush told someone to go take care of it but never checked to see if they had. The governor dragged his feet about accepting federal help throughout the whole debacle (I think it cost him re-election, and rightly so). Of course, right in the middle to hype the spin was the news service.
I watched as a gentleman calmly explained that he felt lucky that a water truck had stood by his house for six hours in the middle of the night. He ended his story by mentioning the truck left when the wind shifted. The next day a story in the paper was headlined “Water trucks flee fire scene!”
Good news doesn’t sell evidently. Every media outlet was busy bashing the response so if your story didn’t reflect ineptitude by someone it wasn’t worthy. Now I am not saying the government got it right by any means, but the media painted them with broad strokes.
The FEMA people who showed up to handle claims were mostly part timers. There is no large trained staff of claims people sitting in Mount Weather waiting to jump on a plane to respond to a disaster. FEMA has people they train and call up for duty when a disaster strikes. For the most part they aren’t in this position for a big paycheck (since there isn’t one) but because they care in some way.
It doesn’t take a great deal of imagination to figure out what the reaction of a citizen would be when told the home they valued at half a million dollars isn’t worth that. Or that the real Mona Lisa is still hanging in the Louvre, and wasn’t in his living room when his house went up in flames. Throw a camera on them right after they receive this news and the fireworks start.
Within days of arriving FEMA could do no right, and this was years before Katrina. Short of handing out blank checks, which probably would have gotten them headlines of wasting of government funds, nothing they did was good enough. There was always someone ready to complain and a news crew ready to amplify their complaint into a statewide crisis.
Are we that fascinated by bad news? We’ve all seen people slow down for crash scenes, creeping by the wreckage hoping for a glimpse of something morbid and memorable. The media seems to think we crave it, once they find a thread to start tearing at the beatings continue right up until some celebrity debutante forgets her panties. Just like that it’s over. Old news. Not even worth back page space.
Forget that FEMA spent countless hours processing every claim in an old bank building until everyone had theirs processed. Forget the things that needed to be addressed before the next set of fires. The Marines are always first to volunteer to assist, but are turned down every time because they haven’t been ‘trained’. It takes a lot of training to drive a truck or aid in evacuations. Forget the fact that people took their money and went and rebuilt bigger and more expensive houses right in the same canyon that burns out every time. Naturally they all become ardent conservationists and refuse to let the brush be cleared because it might endanger the spotted cockroach or something.
Today it seems journalists think responsible news reporting consists of finding something wrong, spreading hate and discontent, and moving on before anyone has a chance to see if they are right. The ‘Shock and Awe’ version of reporting. And we are eating it up, and asking for more.
- Cicero (106-43 B.C.)
I spent last Tuesday night fighting a brush fire. It wasn’t my first time doing such a thing, but it was an unexpected way to kick off the holiday weekend. I spent many years of my life living in southern California where you have the biannual destruction of the vegetation and collection of the insurance payouts. It’s an amazing cycle of payola/rebirth/destruction. Ever since El Nino departed the area has been dried out by the time the Santa Anna winds arrive every year. At the drop of a match, flare, or cigarette it bursts into flames.
As I raked furiously at burning leaves I thought about the times out there when our entire town was threatened by brush fire. It makes people do strange things. You never know a person until you see how they react in a truly stressful situation. I remember riding around in my jeep delivering sandwiches and drinks to the water truck drivers with ash falling in thick globs like some sort of weird hot weather snowstorm. I almost got shot as a looter. The drivers appreciated it though as they spent two days trapped inside the town when the highway was closed in both directions. Nobody complained and nobody bitched, we were all there to help and people appreciated it.
Until the news crews and FEMA showed up. Then the story changed to “It was every man for himself!” and “Where was our government?” In a dress rehearsal for Katrina President Bush told someone to go take care of it but never checked to see if they had. The governor dragged his feet about accepting federal help throughout the whole debacle (I think it cost him re-election, and rightly so). Of course, right in the middle to hype the spin was the news service.
I watched as a gentleman calmly explained that he felt lucky that a water truck had stood by his house for six hours in the middle of the night. He ended his story by mentioning the truck left when the wind shifted. The next day a story in the paper was headlined “Water trucks flee fire scene!”
Good news doesn’t sell evidently. Every media outlet was busy bashing the response so if your story didn’t reflect ineptitude by someone it wasn’t worthy. Now I am not saying the government got it right by any means, but the media painted them with broad strokes.
The FEMA people who showed up to handle claims were mostly part timers. There is no large trained staff of claims people sitting in Mount Weather waiting to jump on a plane to respond to a disaster. FEMA has people they train and call up for duty when a disaster strikes. For the most part they aren’t in this position for a big paycheck (since there isn’t one) but because they care in some way.
It doesn’t take a great deal of imagination to figure out what the reaction of a citizen would be when told the home they valued at half a million dollars isn’t worth that. Or that the real Mona Lisa is still hanging in the Louvre, and wasn’t in his living room when his house went up in flames. Throw a camera on them right after they receive this news and the fireworks start.
Within days of arriving FEMA could do no right, and this was years before Katrina. Short of handing out blank checks, which probably would have gotten them headlines of wasting of government funds, nothing they did was good enough. There was always someone ready to complain and a news crew ready to amplify their complaint into a statewide crisis.
Are we that fascinated by bad news? We’ve all seen people slow down for crash scenes, creeping by the wreckage hoping for a glimpse of something morbid and memorable. The media seems to think we crave it, once they find a thread to start tearing at the beatings continue right up until some celebrity debutante forgets her panties. Just like that it’s over. Old news. Not even worth back page space.
Forget that FEMA spent countless hours processing every claim in an old bank building until everyone had theirs processed. Forget the things that needed to be addressed before the next set of fires. The Marines are always first to volunteer to assist, but are turned down every time because they haven’t been ‘trained’. It takes a lot of training to drive a truck or aid in evacuations. Forget the fact that people took their money and went and rebuilt bigger and more expensive houses right in the same canyon that burns out every time. Naturally they all become ardent conservationists and refuse to let the brush be cleared because it might endanger the spotted cockroach or something.
Today it seems journalists think responsible news reporting consists of finding something wrong, spreading hate and discontent, and moving on before anyone has a chance to see if they are right. The ‘Shock and Awe’ version of reporting. And we are eating it up, and asking for more.
Monday, November 12, 2007
Bandwagons, America's favorite vehicle
"Public opinion is like herding sheep...once you get one going in the direction you want the rest will surely follow. You could be herding them to slaughter and the last one will be pushing to be in the lead right up til the end."
Anonymous
How often have we seen it happen? Two people share a concept that turns out well. Then a third joins, and a fourth, and suddenly the bandwagon starts rolling and it's everyone for themselves in trying to catch up and jump on board. No matter that the original concept might not apply to everyone, but they want to get their piece of it so when the great reckoning comes they can say they were on 'that' bandwagon.
I saw this again recently in an article on CNN.com. It was about global warming, sort of. In it you read about all these other ideas to help stop the rise in gases affecting global warming. As you read you notice that these are all ideas you have heard somewhere before. Indeed they are, it even mentions in the article that these were studies and ideas presented many times in the past. The difference here is global warming is the latest buzz word. It's a hot topic in today's news.
People usually decide that their suggestions or ideas would get more consideration if they link them to whatever is new and exciting. They'll at least get more air play. Even though there is a still debate in the scientific community as to the extent humans play in the current global warming trend, it's what everyone is talking about so finding a way to attach yourself to it is an instant way to get more publicity. Marketing departments have done it for years. If Adidas could figure out a way to link their footwear to halting global warming they would.
Global warming has provided the bandwagon upon which health, and vegetarian agendas have jumped aboard. Eat less meat and walk more. Both good ideas, and we as Americans have known this for years.Are Americans more obese then other countries? It seems so. Yet we are a richer country income wise then most, and throughout history well off people tend to throw away more food then the poor had to eat. Portraits painted in the 17th and 18th centuries always portrayed the model as plump, as this was a sign of wealth and healthiness displaying that they could afford to eat well. Plus rich enough to get their portraits made to boot. Do we know we are fat? Again the answer is yes, as most media has pointed to a growing obesity epidemic in our children. Nothing anyone has tried has slowed down the trend so far. So now we'll make it about saving the planet.
Politicians are experts at catching the bandwagon and at times dismounting without the public even realising it. Since global warming is such a current topic they all have their stance on it prepared. If enough people voice their concern about something you can bet politicians will be ready to pay lip service to it. They are equally skilled at sliding off the bandwagon and denying having ever been aboard. When the numbers in the Iraq war debate started shifting in Bush's favor, there was a mad rush to get on the wagon. Now that it appears that particular one went straight over the cliff many of our elected officials want to deny ever having been a part of it.
A far more common place we see bandwagons is in sports. Every year people jump to whoever is the hot team. Last year Saints fans came out of the woodwork, but with their 0-4 start this season they all but disappeared. Last year Sean Payton was hailed as an innovator and savior of the franchise. Unfortunately for the Saints he appeared to believe that and got a little too caught up in his own parade, as his changes to the offensive playbook this offseason not only confused the opposing defenses but his own offense as well. Apparently the shredding of the changes, and surgery to deflate his head during their bye week may have saved their season.
Another example would be the Denver Broncos. They had a dynasty for several years, but with their declining playoff appearances and early playoff exits it appears their bandwagon has lost a wheel (and their vaunted running attack). Empty seats abound at Invesco Field these days. If they continue to lose this season, it would be a great time to buy those hard to get seats as a season ticket holder for whenever they get it back on track.
Anonymous
How often have we seen it happen? Two people share a concept that turns out well. Then a third joins, and a fourth, and suddenly the bandwagon starts rolling and it's everyone for themselves in trying to catch up and jump on board. No matter that the original concept might not apply to everyone, but they want to get their piece of it so when the great reckoning comes they can say they were on 'that' bandwagon.
I saw this again recently in an article on CNN.com. It was about global warming, sort of. In it you read about all these other ideas to help stop the rise in gases affecting global warming. As you read you notice that these are all ideas you have heard somewhere before. Indeed they are, it even mentions in the article that these were studies and ideas presented many times in the past. The difference here is global warming is the latest buzz word. It's a hot topic in today's news.
People usually decide that their suggestions or ideas would get more consideration if they link them to whatever is new and exciting. They'll at least get more air play. Even though there is a still debate in the scientific community as to the extent humans play in the current global warming trend, it's what everyone is talking about so finding a way to attach yourself to it is an instant way to get more publicity. Marketing departments have done it for years. If Adidas could figure out a way to link their footwear to halting global warming they would.
Global warming has provided the bandwagon upon which health, and vegetarian agendas have jumped aboard. Eat less meat and walk more. Both good ideas, and we as Americans have known this for years.Are Americans more obese then other countries? It seems so. Yet we are a richer country income wise then most, and throughout history well off people tend to throw away more food then the poor had to eat. Portraits painted in the 17th and 18th centuries always portrayed the model as plump, as this was a sign of wealth and healthiness displaying that they could afford to eat well. Plus rich enough to get their portraits made to boot. Do we know we are fat? Again the answer is yes, as most media has pointed to a growing obesity epidemic in our children. Nothing anyone has tried has slowed down the trend so far. So now we'll make it about saving the planet.
Politicians are experts at catching the bandwagon and at times dismounting without the public even realising it. Since global warming is such a current topic they all have their stance on it prepared. If enough people voice their concern about something you can bet politicians will be ready to pay lip service to it. They are equally skilled at sliding off the bandwagon and denying having ever been aboard. When the numbers in the Iraq war debate started shifting in Bush's favor, there was a mad rush to get on the wagon. Now that it appears that particular one went straight over the cliff many of our elected officials want to deny ever having been a part of it.
A far more common place we see bandwagons is in sports. Every year people jump to whoever is the hot team. Last year Saints fans came out of the woodwork, but with their 0-4 start this season they all but disappeared. Last year Sean Payton was hailed as an innovator and savior of the franchise. Unfortunately for the Saints he appeared to believe that and got a little too caught up in his own parade, as his changes to the offensive playbook this offseason not only confused the opposing defenses but his own offense as well. Apparently the shredding of the changes, and surgery to deflate his head during their bye week may have saved their season.
Another example would be the Denver Broncos. They had a dynasty for several years, but with their declining playoff appearances and early playoff exits it appears their bandwagon has lost a wheel (and their vaunted running attack). Empty seats abound at Invesco Field these days. If they continue to lose this season, it would be a great time to buy those hard to get seats as a season ticket holder for whenever they get it back on track.
Tuesday, November 6, 2007
May I ask you a question?
"Not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted."
- Albert Einstein (1879-1955)
"A consensus means that everyone agrees to say collectively what no one believes individually."
- Abba Eban (1915-2002)
It always begins like that, a simple little question, and before you know it you are part of a poll. One of the respondents. Nine out of the proverbial ten. You have voiced your opinion and it has been twisted into whatever they wanted it to be in the first place.
“Do you favor Proposition 134a?”
“Why … no…”
“Our most recent poll shows 89% of your district were in favor.”
Which our fragile psyche translates into “Does that mean I am wrong?” As Americans we favor the majority. If everyone else says it is right, it must be true. If television says it is, then it must be. If this guy is saying he surveyed 100 people and 89 said yes, I must be in the minority and therefore wrong. Minority is an unfavorable term in our American version of the English language. Just ask anyone who is one. Why can’t we all be equal, and just be people? Why can’t both sides of the poll be right, and just have different views? Because as Americans we want a winner and a loser. In a poll the majority wins and therefore we want to run with the herd.
Bush got his majority to approve the Iraq war. Ask congress today to have every member stand up who voted in favor and you’ll get excuse after excuse. Basically it’s all the same one deep down, I didn’t want to stand out and take a chance, and if I voted with the majority I could use it as cover. “Well everyone else was doing it…” We learn this as kids; they do it all the time.
Old Dominion University conducted some polls on a proposed football program. You notice things they left out in the article "Old Dominion debates getting into the football game" (DUCIBELLA,2005) discussing it. Ninety percent of respondents among alumni favored it. (Para 11) Of course, they didn’t ask them to pay for it. In releasing the poll they left out the fact that they didn’t mention it would take 30 million to get the program up and running. They simply trotted off to inform the board at the university that an overwhelming majority favored a football program. A dean at ODU conducted her own poll in a classroom, how many favored a football program. Most hands went up, and then she asked who would be willing to pay higher tuition for it. (Para 16) You can guess the outcome.
Polls are still one of the most favored methods of skewing public opinion. They still work extremely well. Frighteningly so. It works especially well on older generations. They have a different outlook, still wanting to take people at their word. Also wanting their words to be listened too. In order to have your opinion desired you have to be thought of as smart. If they are right they will be perceived as smart. So they go with the majority in order to have the most amount of people agree with them as possible. See how smart I am? All these people say so.
Since we are presented only with the side of the argument the pollsters want us to hear it should be taken with a huge grain of salt. Normally it isn’t. It doesn’t help that the polltakers can hide behind different labels proclaiming them to be independent or some such. Where’s the proof? Is there an independent polltakers institute that certifies poll-taking companies to be independent? Who could you get to fill that job? The Pope? Afraid not, even the Catholics use polls. Polls are a big part of everything from getting land rezoned to selling multimillion dollars product lines to getting politicians elected. The amount of bribery, payola and graft that goes on must be staggering. Even if your interest couldn’t buy their way to a favorable outcome it’s no worry. Make your own poll. Who is going to know?
Is Bush doing a good job? Check with the poll by:
“Responsible Educators Pursuing Unified Business Licenses In Companies Allowing National Security”
Surely with a name like that it must be true, nonpartial and working in the best interests of the American people.
For the sake of argument let’s say they are honest hard working people. Can a poll still be slanted one way? I’d say yes. If I walked up to you with a rattlesnake in one hand and a pack of gum X in the other and asked which you preferred, I bet nine out of ten would prefer the gum. When I run the commercial do I have to mention the rattlesnake?
Maybe, just maybe, it’s all on the up and up and it’s when the poll results are turned over to the people who paid to have it conducted that it gets skewed. That’s only natural, because they definitely have an opinion, and they want it to be yours.
- Albert Einstein (1879-1955)
"A consensus means that everyone agrees to say collectively what no one believes individually."
- Abba Eban (1915-2002)
It always begins like that, a simple little question, and before you know it you are part of a poll. One of the respondents. Nine out of the proverbial ten. You have voiced your opinion and it has been twisted into whatever they wanted it to be in the first place.
“Do you favor Proposition 134a?”
“Why … no…”
“Our most recent poll shows 89% of your district were in favor.”
Which our fragile psyche translates into “Does that mean I am wrong?” As Americans we favor the majority. If everyone else says it is right, it must be true. If television says it is, then it must be. If this guy is saying he surveyed 100 people and 89 said yes, I must be in the minority and therefore wrong. Minority is an unfavorable term in our American version of the English language. Just ask anyone who is one. Why can’t we all be equal, and just be people? Why can’t both sides of the poll be right, and just have different views? Because as Americans we want a winner and a loser. In a poll the majority wins and therefore we want to run with the herd.
Bush got his majority to approve the Iraq war. Ask congress today to have every member stand up who voted in favor and you’ll get excuse after excuse. Basically it’s all the same one deep down, I didn’t want to stand out and take a chance, and if I voted with the majority I could use it as cover. “Well everyone else was doing it…” We learn this as kids; they do it all the time.
Old Dominion University conducted some polls on a proposed football program. You notice things they left out in the article "Old Dominion debates getting into the football game" (DUCIBELLA,2005) discussing it. Ninety percent of respondents among alumni favored it. (Para 11) Of course, they didn’t ask them to pay for it. In releasing the poll they left out the fact that they didn’t mention it would take 30 million to get the program up and running. They simply trotted off to inform the board at the university that an overwhelming majority favored a football program. A dean at ODU conducted her own poll in a classroom, how many favored a football program. Most hands went up, and then she asked who would be willing to pay higher tuition for it. (Para 16) You can guess the outcome.
Polls are still one of the most favored methods of skewing public opinion. They still work extremely well. Frighteningly so. It works especially well on older generations. They have a different outlook, still wanting to take people at their word. Also wanting their words to be listened too. In order to have your opinion desired you have to be thought of as smart. If they are right they will be perceived as smart. So they go with the majority in order to have the most amount of people agree with them as possible. See how smart I am? All these people say so.
Since we are presented only with the side of the argument the pollsters want us to hear it should be taken with a huge grain of salt. Normally it isn’t. It doesn’t help that the polltakers can hide behind different labels proclaiming them to be independent or some such. Where’s the proof? Is there an independent polltakers institute that certifies poll-taking companies to be independent? Who could you get to fill that job? The Pope? Afraid not, even the Catholics use polls. Polls are a big part of everything from getting land rezoned to selling multimillion dollars product lines to getting politicians elected. The amount of bribery, payola and graft that goes on must be staggering. Even if your interest couldn’t buy their way to a favorable outcome it’s no worry. Make your own poll. Who is going to know?
Is Bush doing a good job? Check with the poll by:
“Responsible Educators Pursuing Unified Business Licenses In Companies Allowing National Security”
Surely with a name like that it must be true, nonpartial and working in the best interests of the American people.
For the sake of argument let’s say they are honest hard working people. Can a poll still be slanted one way? I’d say yes. If I walked up to you with a rattlesnake in one hand and a pack of gum X in the other and asked which you preferred, I bet nine out of ten would prefer the gum. When I run the commercial do I have to mention the rattlesnake?
Maybe, just maybe, it’s all on the up and up and it’s when the poll results are turned over to the people who paid to have it conducted that it gets skewed. That’s only natural, because they definitely have an opinion, and they want it to be yours.
DUCIBELLA, J (2005,April 25). Old Dominion debates getting into the football game. Retrieved November 8, 2007, from PilotOnline.com Web site: http://content.hamptonroads.com/story.cfm?story=85495&ran=33168
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
