The New Exchange » Is the media part of the problem with politics today?

Rongone · 3/31/2016 6:32 am

From my perspective, the answer is"yes" they are indeed complicit.

https://www.yahoo.com/politics/are-we-getting-the-leaders-1397064998158390.html

Last edited by Rongone (3/31/2016 6:42 am)

tennyson · 3/31/2016 9:23 am

That is a two-edged sword. We also need a voting public that wants substance over showmanship and that apparently is not what a lot of people want. It is just as much an indictment of US (the voting public) as well.

Rongone · 3/31/2016 9:48 am

tennyson wrote:
That is a two-edged sword. We also need a voting public that wants substance over showmanship and that apparently is not what a lot of people want. It is just as much an indictment of US (the voting public) as well.

You're right Tennyson. Ultimately, it is the voter that decides who gets elected. If the majority of voters are satisfied with making their decision based upon purely emotional rhetoric and the antics of a bunch of sideshow barkers, rather than concerning themselves with candidates that offer reasonable plans to solve real issues, we'll end up with a bozo in the White House.

My reality checks come from incidents like yesterday, while on the elliptical machine at the gym, the three TV's in my line of sight showing Fox 'news', MSNBC, and CNN, were all reporting on Drumpf, his campaign manager, and the Breitbart reporter incident . . . for 20 minutes ! ! Then I think about an American public that is obsessed with the Kardashians, who got eliminated from the Voice, and consider Entertainment Tonight an acceptable source for news. The 24 hour news recycle that bombasts the viewing public is only fueling the desire of their viewership's likes. As Les Moonves said: "It may not be good for America, but it’s damn good for CBS.”

We get the government we deserve.

Conspiracy Theory · 3/31/2016 12:02 pm

They use hatred and fear the same way politicians do.

Get people angry and/or afraid and they'll keep tuning in...hence more money.

What I don't get is why people find being angry and/or afraid so appealing.

I'm not really familiar with how other people feel things, but do people enjoy being angry?

flowergirl · 3/31/2016 12:16 pm

Maybe if there is nothing going on in people's lives they have an appetite for the smorgasbord of ongoing, continuously flowing broadcasts some refer to as "news."

tennyson · 3/31/2016 4:33 pm

Conspiracy Theory wrote:
They use hatred and fear the same way politicians do.

Get people angry and/or afraid and they'll keep tuning in...hence more money.

What I don't get is why people find being angry and/or afraid so appealing.

I'm not really familiar with how other people feel things, but do people enjoy being angry?

I think it is a pretty complex answer.

There are some that are always angry - I just categorize them as haters. They hate for various reasons.

There are those that are angry because they now find themselves on the "outs" whereas they previously had been on the upswing. This group would include the wide range of middle class wage earners whose jobs have been outsourced and/or replaced by automation and they do not have the ability to find jobs that provide them with the same upward mobility.

There are those that are angry with their representation in Congress (just take a look at their approval rating) and feel that their elected officials have let them down (and in many cases they are right).

Then there are those that are fearful which might be because of fear of violence or fear that the government is coming for their guns. Or they are fearful that they are now becoming a minority whereas they used to be the majority. Then there are those that fear a different religion and/or fear that their religion is at a "war" because they are becoming less and less an influence.

I don't think any really want to be in fear..

Most don;t want even to be angry most of the time either, except perhaps for the haters.

We are at a time in history that a lot of the factors above are in play. It has happened through out history and it has not worked out well for those that have been taken in by it in the past.

There are the politicians and groups that just want to play on these factors for their own gain and there are those that see the same problems and act to find solutions to them.

Just Fred · 4/02/2016 9:57 am

Here's an excellent article that hits the nail on the head as rongone suggested a few days ago:

Journalists are searching for an explanation of the Donald Trump phenomenon, trying to comprehend how a real estate developer/reality TV star is close to seizing the Republican nomination for president of the United States. They point to the angry electorate, disarray and dysfunction within the Republican Party, but the best explanation is staring journalists in the mirror.

http://www.salon.com/2016/04/02/all_donald_trump_all_the_time_how_our_dumbed_down_media_creates_a_dumbed_down_electorate/

Last edited by Just Fred (4/02/2016 9:58 am)

Brady Bunch · 4/02/2016 3:00 pm

Yes, I would say the media is part of the problem. When entertainment and ratings become more important than presenting the news and discussing issues, you will have what we have now

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3/31/2016 6:32 am #1

Is the media part of the problem with politics today?

3/31/2016 9:23 am #2

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3/31/2016 12:02 pm #4

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3/31/2016 12:16 pm #5

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3/31/2016 4:33 pm #6

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Conspiracy Theory wrote:

4/02/2016 9:57 am #7

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4/02/2016 3:00 pm #8

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