Migrate, Adapt or Die
There is much wailing these days about the impending death of newspapers and other traditional media (print magazines, the big three networks), but the newspapers, with their slavish Establishmentarian outlook deserve their impending death for delivering suhc a crappy outmoded product, at least as much as do the Big Three automakers. Many innocent, and a few noble parties will be injured in these collapses, it's true, but for the most part we should say good riddance with each closing. It's not like they provided us with 'the news we need' to avoid the calamities of the GOP hegemony -- 9/11, needless war, Depression, disgrace, wholesale corruption etc etc. Nor can the journamalists, even now, admit that these things have happened -- because they were so complicit, derelict, negligent, incompetent etc in these devolutions.
The American people could bring about an improvement in their news media, by carefully, selectively, and avowedly boycotting those organs that stick to the "center right" mythology -- and of course the sponsors of that mythology. It's a market solution to the problem: have a ferw hundred or thousand people write to Macy's, and say, I'm not buying at Macy's anymore because your ad was on the back of Marc Thiessen's wholly mendacious and morally nauseating op-ed in the Washignton Post. This should be done for whichever advertiser is closest to the most offensive exrescences of the day. And, needless to say, readers of the post should remove their names from the rolls of subscribers -- ideally en masse and with letters explaining which bit of moral imbecility pushed them over the edge. All this would require some coordination on the Web. Somedboy would need to lead the effort, track who sponsors (or appears proximate to) right-wing bullshit and do regular posts, including mailing addresses, emails, phone numbers, etc of the execs who buy the space or time, the editors et cetera. As I've said before, maybe we could even issue Fox-Free stickers to manufacturers who don't contribute to the salaries of Borwnshirts, like Good Housekeeping Seals, or Made in America certifications.
It could be (I've heard it claimed) that many people are basically good; they want to do the right thing, it's just that the incenitves have been perverted. They may hate Hannity and O'Reilly, but their air time pays off. We could change that, give them a chance to hear their better angels. But chances are, we won't. Most Americans are soft -- too incurious, cowardly and lazy to change their brand loyalties, or write a simple letter. So we'll just go along as we have been, and hope for some wise and heroic Fuhrer to lead us into better days.
The American people could bring about an improvement in their news media, by carefully, selectively, and avowedly boycotting those organs that stick to the "center right" mythology -- and of course the sponsors of that mythology. It's a market solution to the problem: have a ferw hundred or thousand people write to Macy's, and say, I'm not buying at Macy's anymore because your ad was on the back of Marc Thiessen's wholly mendacious and morally nauseating op-ed in the Washignton Post. This should be done for whichever advertiser is closest to the most offensive exrescences of the day. And, needless to say, readers of the post should remove their names from the rolls of subscribers -- ideally en masse and with letters explaining which bit of moral imbecility pushed them over the edge. All this would require some coordination on the Web. Somedboy would need to lead the effort, track who sponsors (or appears proximate to) right-wing bullshit and do regular posts, including mailing addresses, emails, phone numbers, etc of the execs who buy the space or time, the editors et cetera. As I've said before, maybe we could even issue Fox-Free stickers to manufacturers who don't contribute to the salaries of Borwnshirts, like Good Housekeeping Seals, or Made in America certifications.
It could be (I've heard it claimed) that many people are basically good; they want to do the right thing, it's just that the incenitves have been perverted. They may hate Hannity and O'Reilly, but their air time pays off. We could change that, give them a chance to hear their better angels. But chances are, we won't. Most Americans are soft -- too incurious, cowardly and lazy to change their brand loyalties, or write a simple letter. So we'll just go along as we have been, and hope for some wise and heroic Fuhrer to lead us into better days.
posted by Kalkaino @ 1:17 PM
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