Media on Media in America ...
It seems like all the media can talk about these days is ...the media. And still, they continue to shoot themselves in the foot.
Let’s be specific. I’m talking mainly about the mainstream 24 hr. cable news channels. The old networks (CBS, NBC. ABC) have reduced themselves into a whole new category, that I like to call ...write-offs.
Print journalism continues to implode, but it’s protected by the firewall of social media and the fact that nobody reads anymore.
Here’s something I’m still laughing about from one of the Sunday morning news programs. The MSNBC host was criticizing President Trump’s media prejudice referencing his leanings toward outlets like Fox News and Breitbart. The media “expert” pundit she was interviewing was ...Jerry Springer!
Jerry Springer. The credible voice of the media? That’s like ...Donald Trump becoming president.
Let’s face it, it all boils down to show business and ratings. Most Americans get their news from TV ..the 24 hr. cable news networks. CNN, MSNBC, FOX, or as I like to say Faux pas. Maybe even more get their information from social media, the social phenomenon. And that’s because, “It’s what the American people want.” How many times have you heard that belabored, exhausted phrase from some self-serving politician who thinks he knows something about what you want?
But here’s the thing. You won’t admit it, but it is what you want. Cake and circuses. Quick and dirty. Right? Entertainment. It’s what the American people want. If he says it’s what you want, then it must be what you want. You are following the pied piper.
Are you offended by what I say? Good. You should be. You should be totally offended and embarrassed.
But here’s the thing again. The proof that the American people want “cake and circuses” lies in the fact that we, you, elected Donald Trump President of the United States. And he used the media to do it. He used their ratings to get his best demographic coverage and he used his showmanship to win your heart and soul.
And I’m not saying he won’t be a good president. Only time will tell. But he may not make it past Easter.
So, the question begs to be asked ...must be asked ..and answered: Who are these American people to whom we all refer as the standard benchmark of truth, justice and “the American way?”
We look at ourselves through our own eyes, the eyes of our media. Because the media has become our eyes. Not just the news media but through television programs, movies, music, clothing styles, automotive dreams, trending fads and sex appeal. Our education system. Even our history is written with a show biz zest that captures our imagination as heros and leaders.
Everyone loves a winner. But in our society now, even the greatest loser either is or can be the greatest winner (“Paul Blart: Mall Cop”). Depends on who’s writing the history, the movie script, or the song.
Or who’s writing the news.
So, back to the original question: Who are these American people ...the people who elected Trump, the people who are influenced by their favorite 24. hr. cable news personality, the over-consumerized people who are both chasing the American dream and their own tails, climbing the corporate ladder ...the people who the politicians and advertisers play like a fine tuned instrument and pretend to know, and actually do know, “what the American people want.”
Cake and circuses. Marketing. The proof is in the ratings.
Again, if you are offended by what I say you should be. You should be offended by what we collectively see in the media mirror. And what you see in the the media mirror is again reflected in the vote. Perhaps not your vote, but the collective, majority vote. And in the majority rule, you are one of them whether you like it or not. But not just the vote for your president and leader, but your vote for how you get your news, what you read, what movies you like, the clothes you wear, how you wear your hair, the music you like, the car you drive and the one you aspire to drive. What you eat. Where you send your kids to school.
This all adds up to “who the American people are” as viewed from within our own country, and maybe more important, viewed from other countries, by the entire world community.
We are all striving to be our individual selves. But how can anyone think straight within this wonderland cacophony of American freedoms? So many choices. So many voices.
The key is to adopt an individual responsibility ...to yourself and to your fellow Americans. To everyone. We, you, are responsible. Use your best instincts and best judgement to be your best self. Look, read, listen and try to understand everything that’s thrown at you. The truth will filter itself out, if you let it. You are designed with a built-in sense of right and wrong. Use that instinct, before you lose it. We need it now more than ever.
We are, each one of us as individuals, and as a country, and as a collective civilization, left to our own devices. To sink or swim. And there are many sharks in the water.
John Kushma is a communication consultant and lives in Logan, Utah.
