Is not a good 5 cents cigar.
What this country needs is a brain transplant.
Spending way too much time on Twitter lately, which is to say, any time at all.
There are people there I admire, for their work, like David Simon, who simply rants all day in the most inelegant way, sounding like the guys I use to listen to in the locker room, while we were getting into and out of our sweats.
The echochamber is really little different from Redditt Progressive, another site which lost me because it was simply a venting station.
Even the New York Times is a groan.
It's far more interactive than in the 20th century, where you'd see an article and a week later five letters. Now Paul Krugman or David Brooks writes an article and within minutes a hundred responses, within hours, thousands of responses. But the quantity bears no relationship to the quality. Ninety percent of the comments begin with, "It just makes me sick" or "It makes me sad" or "I'm so afraid" or "The guy is such an idiot."
You wonder why these folks bother to write this prosaic stuff at all.
Really. What are they thinking--beyond the obvious.
No, what this country needs is a sort of anti matter to Rush Limbaugh. A talk show radio host or hosts who thoughtfully examine every story, or tweet, with a yin and yan sort of approach. Well, on the one hand, but on the other.
It might be called, "Audi Alteram Partem." Hear the Other Side.
Or it might be called, "Radio Free New Hampshire."
Or "The Show."
Radio is so much more powerful than television because you can listen while you drive or walking down the street, while you work, while you are doing other things.
It's better than social media because it can have actual quality control.
Maybe the show would have guests and the host or hosts would question them vigorously, carefully. You will say The PBS News Hour does this, but the problem with the News Hour is the guests: Always somebody with rank or credentials, who will say exactly what you expect them to say. They never surprise you. Or only rarely.
And the desire to be civil actually impedes the free exchange of ideas on the News Hour. When Gwen Ifil was alive, she got after people, but Judy and company are simply too quiet and respectful.
Who would be the first guests? Whoever you could get. But with radio, you don't actually need the guests in the studio, so eventually you might get say, Bernie Sanders or Hillary Clinton or Al Franken. Those are the obvious.
But how about people who might actually say stuff you haven't heard before, like retired professors of government, like Andrew Hacker, who don't have to worry about their colleges getting mad at them?
Grumpy old guys-- that's the ticket. Guys who have heard it all and know B.S. from Shinola.
Or retired cops.
Emergency Room nurses.
People who have seen things.
People who could take us from this world of unreality into a world of hyper reality.
Maybe even retired business people who aren't trying to sell anything any more.
The guy who worked at Apple or Hewlett Packard or IBM, who can tell some tales.
Whatever it is, it's not what we've got now.
What this country needs is a brain transplant.
Spending way too much time on Twitter lately, which is to say, any time at all.
There are people there I admire, for their work, like David Simon, who simply rants all day in the most inelegant way, sounding like the guys I use to listen to in the locker room, while we were getting into and out of our sweats.
The echochamber is really little different from Redditt Progressive, another site which lost me because it was simply a venting station.
Even the New York Times is a groan.
 |
| Van Gogh, Something different |
It's far more interactive than in the 20th century, where you'd see an article and a week later five letters. Now Paul Krugman or David Brooks writes an article and within minutes a hundred responses, within hours, thousands of responses. But the quantity bears no relationship to the quality. Ninety percent of the comments begin with, "It just makes me sick" or "It makes me sad" or "I'm so afraid" or "The guy is such an idiot."
 |
| U.S. Capitol |
You wonder why these folks bother to write this prosaic stuff at all.
Really. What are they thinking--beyond the obvious.
No, what this country needs is a sort of anti matter to Rush Limbaugh. A talk show radio host or hosts who thoughtfully examine every story, or tweet, with a yin and yan sort of approach. Well, on the one hand, but on the other.
 |
| That's Grant on the horse |
It might be called, "Audi Alteram Partem." Hear the Other Side.
Or it might be called, "Radio Free New Hampshire."
Or "The Show."
 |
| VanGogh, Auvers. Saw that church |
Radio is so much more powerful than television because you can listen while you drive or walking down the street, while you work, while you are doing other things.
It's better than social media because it can have actual quality control.
Maybe the show would have guests and the host or hosts would question them vigorously, carefully. You will say The PBS News Hour does this, but the problem with the News Hour is the guests: Always somebody with rank or credentials, who will say exactly what you expect them to say. They never surprise you. Or only rarely.
 |
| Not sure. Renoir maybe |
And the desire to be civil actually impedes the free exchange of ideas on the News Hour. When Gwen Ifil was alive, she got after people, but Judy and company are simply too quiet and respectful.
Who would be the first guests? Whoever you could get. But with radio, you don't actually need the guests in the studio, so eventually you might get say, Bernie Sanders or Hillary Clinton or Al Franken. Those are the obvious.
But how about people who might actually say stuff you haven't heard before, like retired professors of government, like Andrew Hacker, who don't have to worry about their colleges getting mad at them?
 |
| Scandalous |
Grumpy old guys-- that's the ticket. Guys who have heard it all and know B.S. from Shinola.
Or retired cops.
Emergency Room nurses.
 |
| Alter Ego |
People who have seen things.
People who could take us from this world of unreality into a world of hyper reality.
 |
| Better than what we've got now |
Maybe even retired business people who aren't trying to sell anything any more.
The guy who worked at Apple or Hewlett Packard or IBM, who can tell some tales.
Whatever it is, it's not what we've got now.
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