Thesis: the problem

            As we go on in life and leave childish things behind, our tastes begin to change.  If someone would have told me ten years ago that I’d one day prefer steamed buttered broccoli to the taste of milk chocolate, I would have called that person a liar.  If that same person came and told me that I’d turn out be one of those guys who argue politics at the Thanksgiving dinner table, I’d have said, “Not me, sir.” 

But I’ve evolved beyond that as well.  I know when I speak on the subject of politics or world or local affairs, that I’m fighting a losing battle.  I know by now that I get the same amount of information watching late night talk show hosts spew their opening monologues, or SNL’s Weekend Update as I do from mainstream  sources.  I know that media sources are locked in a ratings race, not an information race.  I would have a much more complete conversation if I talked about celebrity gossip or how tired we all are of Skrillex than if I went about delineating the logistics of renewables in our energy mix.

The problem is easy to identify.  Like an alcoholic in the middle of a four-day bender, we understand all too well where we stand.  We are misinformed, busy, and apathetic.  The solution is simple.  Stop drinking.  Stop ingesting the processed, rendered, and neatly packaged product that the media outlets pump daily into our collective feeding tube. 

But alas, simple does not readily translate into easy.  “Leave the drink alone,” you tell the struggling alcoholic.  “Reach for a smoothie or better yet, go jogging.”  That all requires effort.  Remember, we’re not just misinformed.  We’re also very busy and very apathetic.  That and we are up against, not just networks, but conglomerates whom over the years have made a handsomely profitable industry from turning the words mainstream news into an oxymoron.  The examples go on for days: CNN’s botched coverage of the alleged arrest of the Boston bomber, the Fox network falling victim to a distasteful prank regarding the crew of crashed Asiana Flight 214, along with extensive coverage of trivial matters that dominate headlines for weeks, even months at a time.  Scandals like the infamous Conrad Murray trial or Anthony Wiener sexting his member to a willing recipient.

To punctuate a tired point, it’s our own fault.  Real news goes on right under our noses and the mainstream media scouts for scandals while they cut, paste, and editorialize feed from the associated press. But I close this rant with two solutions.  First, take it all with a grain of salt.  The people on the other side of that feed may be quite good at their jobs, but they have bosses to please.  Idiot, megalomaniac bosses with much more money than sense. 

Second and lastly, pay attention.  That’s the toughest one of all.  Go to Govtrack.us, find out who your district representative is(most people don’t know) and ask the most important question.  “What have you done for me lately?”  Because, if you don’t know what’s going on in your own backyard, how is it going to help you to know what’s happening on in Syria?