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Intershame On: Feigning Political Outrage |
Anger Over Comment Highlights Problem
08/04/2009
Democrat Maxine Waters (D - CA) rammed her foot in her mouth by (almost) claiming she wanted to "socialize" the oil industry. The right wing went full force after this comment. They spread the youtube clip of her remark and used it as evidence arguing progressives are Communists. Or Socialist. Or Marxist. Or --insert scary sounding political term widely misunderstood here--.
It sure would be nice to think that our country is collectively smarter than this. As if a 20 second sound bite can encapsulate the complexity of the energy
No matter, the fake outrage machine went into full swing. Oooo... a congresseswoman said "socializin...". I bet she was going to end that sentence with a "g"! Please. I have a sneaking suspicion Maxine Waters knows remarkably little about the petroleum industry and even less about what socializing it would entail. The real news should be this oil executive's narrow minded view about the future of energy. Naturally, his limited view sees "more oil" as the only solution and government regulation of his oil industry will destroy civilization. This lack of foresight is appalling despite whose mouth it falls from. Anybody not holding a "Drill Baby Drill" sign will tell you that relying on oil to solve our energy crisis is foolishness. It's like saying the typewriter is the future of IT.
This is how we tackle complex issues in the United States - one sound bite at a time. Forget trying to mentally analyze an issue, just decide which team your on - Donkey or Elephant - and let the party tell you what's what.
Politics in the United States has desolved into a team sport. Reason, logic and critical thinking have been replaced with allegiance to party. Examples of this flow through our media on a daily basis and this clip and it's reaction are just one example I choose to use to highlight this problem. Oil executives are currently on the "Elephant" team so those that wear red will fall into lock step with whatever they say oblivious to the notion that they really deserve better.
As with most problems facing the United States, the energy issue is far more complex than blue or red.
Complexity is the enemy of important issues. Joe Citizen is only capable of investing about 2 minutes of thought to a topic before his attention returns to considering which American Idol contestant is the purttiest.
Can we blame Joe Citizen for being uninterested? He's been bombarded with drivel from the media his entire life. And for the political media it's much more entertaining to drum up controversy than turn your airwaves over to somebody willing to analyze a complicated problem - and more entertaining means more profitable. An argument can be made that mainstream Intellectualism died when feigning outrage over a 20 second soundbite became more marketable than the mental navigation of a complex issue. Thus, videos like this one become widely popular - videos devoid of substance, provide ammunition to support an argument and appeal to the citizen who'd like to make a point, but not if making that point can't be made during the commercial break.
It sure would be nice to think that our country is collectively smarter than this. As if a 20 second sound bite can encapsulate the complexity of the energy
Energy - an issue so simple it can be summed up by a 2 minute youtube clip.
issue or one congresswoman's remark can define her party's stance the oil industry.No matter, the fake outrage machine went into full swing. Oooo... a congresseswoman said "socializin...". I bet she was going to end that sentence with a "g"! Please. I have a sneaking suspicion Maxine Waters knows remarkably little about the petroleum industry and even less about what socializing it would entail. The real news should be this oil executive's narrow minded view about the future of energy. Naturally, his limited view sees "more oil" as the only solution and government regulation of his oil industry will destroy civilization. This lack of foresight is appalling despite whose mouth it falls from. Anybody not holding a "Drill Baby Drill" sign will tell you that relying on oil to solve our energy crisis is foolishness. It's like saying the typewriter is the future of IT.
This is how we tackle complex issues in the United States - one sound bite at a time. Forget trying to mentally analyze an issue, just decide which team your on - Donkey or Elephant - and let the party tell you what's what.
Politics in the United States has desolved into a team sport. Reason, logic and critical thinking have been replaced with allegiance to party. Examples of this flow through our media on a daily basis and this clip and it's reaction are just one example I choose to use to highlight this problem. Oil executives are currently on the "Elephant" team so those that wear red will fall into lock step with whatever they say oblivious to the notion that they really deserve better.
As with most problems facing the United States, the energy issue is far more complex than blue or red.
Complexity is the enemy of important issues. Joe Citizen is only capable of investing about 2 minutes of thought to a topic before his attention returns to considering which American Idol contestant is the purttiest.
Can we blame Joe Citizen for being uninterested? He's been bombarded with drivel from the media his entire life. And for the political media it's much more entertaining to drum up controversy than turn your airwaves over to somebody willing to analyze a complicated problem - and more entertaining means more profitable. An argument can be made that mainstream Intellectualism died when feigning outrage over a 20 second soundbite became more marketable than the mental navigation of a complex issue. Thus, videos like this one become widely popular - videos devoid of substance, provide ammunition to support an argument and appeal to the citizen who'd like to make a point, but not if making that point can't be made during the commercial break.
