Saturday, January 17, 2009

OMG, Barack Added Me on MySpace!

I am becoming very annoyed with the way the media is portraying Obama. It's beginning to feel that McCain was right--that Obama is nothing more than the biggest celebrity in the world. Is this the way that people want to see him, or is this the media's perverse idea of packaging and selling? The inauguration has taken on the air of a Publisher's Clearinghouse sweepstakes where the Prize Team drives up to your door with videocameras, balloons and the oversized invitation informing you that YOU WILL GET TO MEET THE SAVIOR! I am sorry. You can crucify Obama on Capitol Hill with a crown of thorns, with Bush and Cheney hanging on crosses on either side of him, but that man is not going to save anybody. And when he does not, we are all going to go into lynch mob mentality demanding that McCain be set free from the Senate prison.

Politics has become one big reality show. Is there really any difference between Project Runway and Politics as Usual? On Project Runway, the designer has two days and $200 to make an evening gown for the new First Lady. On Politics, the senator has two years and $700 billion to create an economic rescue package for America. At the end of the challenge, several contestants will be given the auf wiedersehen. As Heidi Klum says, "One day you're in, the next day you're oblivion."

This country needs to come to its senses. There are very real issues out there but you wouldn't know it. Who cares that Zimbabwe is imploding? That Afghanistan has gone to hell? That Eastern Europeans are freezing to death because of lack of fuel? The media must think people are no longer able to digest real news, which is why they keep giving us baby food crap like 'How well will Obama dance at the Inauguration?' Or maybe it's time to pull the plug of life support from the media.

8 comments:

Luuworld said...

huh? is this part two of that shirtless pic? did you turn into obama??......:-P

J.T. said...

Luu,

Were you expecting the previous post to be continued DIRECTLY? That would mean doing a slow strip tease on this blog, and I think some people would find that highly objectionable... I would be hurt to know that you were only reading this blog to see more parts of my body... :-P

Rob said...

Don't you want to be "entertained" by television? The only way news programs and channels manage to appeal to the broadest audience (a.k.a. lowest common denominator) is by dumbing down the coverage.

Simplify any issue, place on talking heads who blabber on at opposite ends of the spectrum in a "gotcha" debate (or screaming match) and you get your WWE smackdown for the same crowd in the news.
For other coverage such as Obama, find a broad and appealing theme (say "the savior), do some "compelling" graphics showing him with an aura and go on relentlessly. Then, when the chosen one fails to meet lofty expectations (especially considering the multiple problems worldwide) do specials on "why did he fail?".
Can we suddenly make Joe six pack grapple with nuances and real life issues vs. the 3 to 5 minute attention span where all you can do is "I'm pro this or against that"? The declining subscriber numbers to weekly magazines are an indicator of the little time (and capacity in some cases?) people have to really think in-depth about issues.

Luuworld said...

i want to see more skin, and i wanna see it now! skin is what makes this blog worth reading! haha

J.T. said...

You said it Rob. If there's one industry that is recession-proof, it's the news-sanitation business. No end to the possibilities of garbage stories they can feed us.

As for you Luu, well, I would have exposed more had it not been for that urination episode in your bedroom. You lost me there... :-P

dannie said...

i didn't know heidi klum said one day you're in one day you're oblivion. guess i never paid attention lol

our society is pretty stupid, california has the terminator for governor, bush for president. hopefully obama can live up to his celebrity status :]

Auf Wiedersehen.

Luuworld said...

oh- don't act all prom and proper. i know you LOVED that er....wet story. and do come over to norway. i have a wonderful (though a bit stained) guest bed! looooool

J.T. said...

Don't be surprised if I do show up on your doorstep one of these days. I have heard that the train ride from Oslo to Trondheim affords magnificent views, much nicer than the views of stained guest beds... :-P