Much has been made of the shifting cultural sands of the planet. Many people have an opinion on the subject. Mark Steyn has an article which also encapsulates many of my own thoughts.
Everything can be boiled down to evolution. As I and Citizen Prime (the spouse) were watching her favorite show (Travel Channel's Most Haunted), I remarked how men's earrings were no longer worthy of mention. At one point they were a defining statement for sexuality, criminal alignment or a host of other subcultural identifiers. Now they are simply there. Most are worn by the young and trendy (not my demographic). But in the space of less than two decades, their presence has become de riguer.
I contend that the present trend in population also will predict the future state of the world. A former boss of mine, CAPT Tim Scheib (USN), stated that the way to shape a culture is simple. Control the press, control the police and control the schools.
But by far the best impact is the schools.
4 comments:
Yes, Scoot, it is what they do in totalitarian states. It's also what we do here. Unless we make sure that we have open, objective and top notch schooling we will fail as a society.
Unless we have principled, capable and well equipped police, we will fail as a society.
Unless we have a fair, fact based and morally grounded press, we will fail as a society.
Of the three I am most concerned about the latter. I think the rise of the blogosphere (whose initials are BS - ironically) will push the MSM towards more detailed and objective reporting.
By the way, advocacy media is fine, just don't camoflage it as fact based reporting.
The schools are our next big hurdle. I am not so worried about the police, today.
EVERY society exerts this control. It is simply a matter of what sort of control is exerted.
"Is Fox news fact based, or advocacy based?"
Depends on the show. Some are more one than the other. And I'm not sosure you can separate the two exclusively in any media outlet, as they all operate with an eye toward self interest. They are all compromized in one way or another. No one is "Holier Than Thou". CNN supressed news from Iraq during the 90's, as it was the only way they would be allowed to stay and (not) report from the country. They compromised themselves so they could be the only western news source Baghdad. Name any period in the history of modern news reporting, and you will find all sorts of examples of facts mixed with advocacy. And everyone is biased. The process of editing, deciding what should and shouldn't be reported in a story, displays bias. A blogger, by choosing or not chosing to write about something shows bias. Our thinking process and attitudes about the world are products of our own perceptions. There is, and can be, no such thing as an unbiased view, as a view or opinion that seems biased is only viewed as such because it doesn't match the rubrics of your own. Every reporter has a bias. All news has a bias. There is no way around it. This is just my unbiased view:-)
Well said, all.
Maybe we should form our own Power Blog like P.J. Media. OK, Maybe not.
Gotta go. Have to pull the heads off my Subaru - Murphy, the 87 $500 Turbo-Wag.
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