Once again, it is a case of The Vanishing News.
This time, the media has managed to shift American focus from a monumental Supreme Court ruling, replacing our, yes, crisis, with a catastrophe in another country. All eyes are on Haiti, and what a boon for the powers that be to fill the air with hypnotic Haiti Extreme video. Yes, Haiti is a true disaster. But here’s what happened to us:
January 21, 2010, New York Times: ” A bitterly divided Supreme Court on January 21, 2010, rules that the government may not ban political spending by corporations in candidate elections.”
Scan the media and op-ed pages of even, yes, the above-mentioned newspaper, and what do you see today?
The lens from which we view this urgent ruling is now five days old and not just out-of-focus, but gone.
The success of the media’s BLUR campaign has given many commentators, writers, and bloggers their latest, largest, (and weirdly, easiest), spinning opportunity. The matter of the ruling was overblown, they say, in its initially-perceived significance, and really, not such a big deal.
Let’s hit the public hard and rerun the Haiti footage and freak people out of their minds with visuals. Don’t forget to warn those who live in earthquake-vulnerable locations that this will happen to them. Give ‘em a generous dollop of terror on their late-night local news. Sweet dreams!
The real life-changing American news shows up, when you can catch it, for an instant. It then deliberately is lifted and shredded, inevitably to fade away in the chaos and confusion of media double-speak.
Then there are those who just don’t care. Indeed, even television shows like the esteemed, The View, as well as on most nightly current “event” talk shows, the story does not exist.
The hosts are simply too enthralled with the whereabouts of Tiger Woods. WHERE IS HE? Hosts ask a new panel of location experts each night. And the demands of gossiping about Conan and Jay apparently never end, especially if one is fascinated by the study of colleagues being handed harsh judgement and bad news.
Was it just me, or did I see a rather intelligent Joe Klein rolling his eyes as one host determinedly turned back to the Tiger topic and asked his opinion. The talented Joy Behar literally introduces nonsense panel “discussions” with the question, “Does anyone even care?” She exhibits her charming mock-outrage as she introduces this wasting of time, as if to say, “What a ridiculous subject, but enough thinking about that. This is mine and I choose to go there.” Oyyyy, Joy, why do you care enough to use all your precious airtime on stupid, empty subjects? A big disappointment for those of us who are fans and will always root for her.
Now there I go. Talking talk shows rather than staying on topic with what truly matters. See how easy it is to be entertained by distraction? See how we all want to step away from the intensity of important matters, even as they disappear from our view?
Here’s the lesson for today: Let us stay awake and alert for all momentary sparks of real news that will genuinely affect our lives. Our live do matter, and the moment is now. As Janis Joplin once warned, “Get It While You Can”.