The decline of the newspaper is obviously a very complex event but the noise from the lunatic fringe that appears at the bottom of most Internet pieces these days does make one long for the plain paper, the bottomless cup of coffee at the local diner, and the sounds of Sunday. Just because everyone can, doesn't mean that everyone should. One problem that I see has been the newspapers' caving in to some sort of lowest common denominator best described by Curtis White in his "Middle Mind." A certain star system, too, has installed itself, even among simpler publications like this …
All 16 comments by...
Talleyrand
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Hi blackhorse, sorry to get back late, I am actually trying -- in vain -- to query stories again... Good question. Actually from neither and both.... The noise is a combo of everything from instant messaging, email (which is cheap and available), Twitter, blogging, etc.... By now there is so much message flying about, so many people are involved in the discussion, there is no possible way for any news of real importance to get through. Add to that the unbelievable sanguinity of the audience (even here in Europe, alas) , which gets bored of any story that is developing for …
Posted to Death of the Newspaperman
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Dohrn and Ayers make a great deal of sense and they do offer some vital hope in extremely dark times. They may have been fugitives from the law, but the law, back then, was in great part being dispensed by criminals. The war in Vietnam was criminal, we had a criminal running the country, for example. We have the same situation today, only far more accute, because we simply haven't really done our work on the Vietnam and Watergate disasters. As a society, I mean. So amen to those two, who put their finger on the sore spots: No opposition, a …
Posted to Debunking the 60s with Ayers and Dohrn
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Well, regarding those are comments that are obviously made for the shock effect and somewhere in the nether regions of tasteless, I couldn't agree more. I don't know much about either D or A (in fact I only read the article originally because I thought it might be about Kevin Ayers, one of the only pop singers I every liked)... I personally have another 12-14 years before I get up there into that age range. I certainly hope that people will not start judging me for the things I did or said when I was in my early 20s. We are …
Posted to Debunking the 60s with Ayers and Dohrn
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By the way.... Why are we really discussing these people's past... In the article they make points about the present and its youth movement if I recall correctly. For whatever reason, A and D may or may not have said some silly things when they were barely out of adolescence, they turned to violence (and we may all dislike violence, but there comes a frustration point, when violence does become the only apparent way out, especially in a Kafkaesque system, be it democratic or otherwise) because there seemed to be no other way out in extremely violent times. And for whatever …
Posted to Debunking the 60s with Ayers and Dohrn
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"Let us not look back to the past with anger, nor towards the future with fear, but look around with awareness." James Thurber Why try to paraphrase this... Talleyrand (Y chromosome)
Posted to Debunking the 60s with Ayers and Dohrn
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I think there may be a difference between approving violence and understanding it, either as Muste did, or in general. One cannot pretend there is no violence or see it as simply being a human error. It is definitely a part of our experience, and especially of the male experience on this planet, lest we forget..... By that I mean: Have a look at the last 100 years of history, you will see men running about with the bit of power clenched between their jaws parading some of the most farfetched ideas as if these were --quite literally -- the gospel. …
Posted to Debunking the 60s with Ayers and Dohrn
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I am not sure I would really insist on "balls" in women, than a "uterus" in males to sort of symbolically at least get the feeling of recepotivity... But this digresses into areas that have little to do with the current discussion, I fear. Also, the male/female polarity goes deeper than a few inches of flesh. But certainly I would wish to see more of the female in the political arena, and not women with balls. Men generally do not set a terribly good example in the political field (I have met many who are a deep inspiration otherwise, but seldom …
Posted to Debunking the 60s with Ayers and Dohrn
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Spinoza.... I wrote my bit while you were on yours... I find the scientific system certainly interesting, esp. the thought of working it all backwards, but again, the whole thing depends on so many people agreeing at once. Violence, as in visible conflict-- has some root causes that must be addressed. (Here the mimetic desire and rivalry are definitely on the nail, but there is something else here...) I do think that we have many mechanisms already in place to prevent or stall the spread of violence. Only they are not being used properly. And the problem always goes back to …
Posted to Debunking the 60s with Ayers and Dohrn
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Unless chopper did something recently that was really naughty, no prison term for him/her! Don't use that silly argument, Chopper, we all know that the real master at clipping freedom of speech, assembly, etc... are the neocons. Do you guys have a school where you all learn that this is the way to "debate": Take the things that your party does and apply them to the "other" side? You all sound exactly the same, and its pretty, how should I say this... monotonous. It reminds me of a heavy-duty drinker I knew, who, when addressed on the subject, would accuse everyone …
Posted to Debunking the 60s with Ayers and Dohrn
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Please be respectful in your comments and try to remain on-topic
Posted to Debunking the 60s with Ayers and Dohrn
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Major, why do you choose to be rude? Is there any call or it? A little irony is OK, but simply using dickhead? And "dimwit"? Where is the evidence? Other than being hidden behind a screen, is there anything special in you that raises you above the station of common mortal? You are holier than anyone, Massa, .. (Speaking of sanctimonious.... ) It actually took me about 5 minutes to find that comment by Spinoza, which I hadn't read. SO I stand corrected. It is not a very appropriate comment, true, also because it's off topic, and had I read it, …
Posted to Debunking the 60s with Ayers and Dohrn
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Thanks for the response. You may be right that on a certain level the left does it as well, I have no way of either knowing or checking from abroad. I just follow the news from various sources, and over the years criticism of the extremists in government has been silenced using various truly ignoble methods, albeit smart rhetorical methods. And that is what the link I left shows. I am speaking of the rhetoric. As for campuses, I had to think back a few decades.... to 85 when I was last on one... Well, to be frank with you: I …
Posted to Debunking the 60s with Ayers and Dohrn
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I can't wait to dig up this book and read it, esp. the Fenton book cited. While expense was certainly one reason why international journalism declined in the 80s and 90s, my experience as a freelancer was different: Lack of interest, period. A freelancer doesn't really cost the printing medium anything extra. I had good subjects, ranging from real-life from East Germany, to solid evidence of the Iron Curtain coming apart in Hungary, from controversial atomic plants, to all sorts of interesting technical stuff. Believe me: There was NO INTEREST. It was foreign, it was different from waht the editors expected …
Posted to The Rise of Professional Journalism
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There is no such thing as unbiased news, really, since even omissions create bias, nolens volens; But indeed, having various viewpoints does help readers get a somewhat more holistic view of events. It's more than just plonking down a few divergent views on a particular topic, however, it's often a cultural thing, a completely different approach. But US news (and my experience mentioned above confirms this) is designed often in a Hollywood fashion, that is it needs specific elements and the characters are often typecast. Thus, Africa is: famine, massacres, AIDS. Europe in general is sleazy philosophers, endless thinking and fairly …
Posted to The Rise of Professional Journalism
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I would rather avoid getting into more esoteric fields requiring lengthy explanations, but this article does highlight a severe social problem that we do have with the Y chromosome apparently, war and murder being just two symptoms. But on the topic of abuse, it often baffles men -- amongst them Mr. Wolf -- how and why women will put up with abuse for years. My sister was in an abusinve situation, her hubby, a stuck-up, pompous British fellow, marble-in-mouth and Oxford, what, used to regularly beat her with a belt, buckle side. It began on their honeymoon, when she told him …
Posted to Bad Girls
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