In Terms of News and Ideas, Most Americans Live on a Bizarre Little Island
Here’s an article that makes a point that is already obvious to anyone living outside the U.S., or to any of the handful of people in the States who tune into the BBC or Al Jazeera: Americans’ have an extremely narrow and twisted appetite for information concerning the world around them.
Correspondingly, there exists a specialized news “kitchen” built to feed that appetite. One can think of this as a restaurant serving only cheeseburgers to a client base that has been specially trained to eat absolutely nothing but cheeseburgers.
Aspects of this strange little piece of symbiosis include the following, (though perhaps it isn’t all that strange given that six corporations – Time Warner, Disney, News Corporation, Viacom, Comcast, and CBS – control roughly 90% of the media in the U.S.):
• Very little critical attention paid to the morality of U.S. government dealings at home and around the globe
• Perpetuating ignorance of important matters, e.g., this report from 2011 showing that only 22% of Americans had even heard of the “Citizens United” case.
• Coverage of election cycles that never cease
• Details on events that re-enforce the notion that living in the 21st Century is dangerous
• Dominance of the sensational: missing airplanes, scandals, celebrity misbehavior, major gaffes from public figures
• When it exists at all, extremely shallow, one-dimensional coverage of events that actually matter on the world stage
Of course, I tend to look at all of this through the lens of environmental issues, like climate change and the $60 trillion tab we’re running up that will be required to fix the problem. So how does that play into life on this bizarre little island? Of course: a debate! Not at all coincidentally, the U.S. is the only place on Earth that entertains an argument on a subject that science nailed down decades ago; a hugely disproportionate percentage of our law-makers are climate change deniers, and we just love to argue about this. It gets our little panties all knotted up in a bunch, and we just can’t get enough of it.
But think: how could it be otherwise, given that we live in a land whose news source is one enormous cheeseburger stand?
One of the examples of a bizarre US viewpoint is the uncomprehending American acceptance of fracking, a practice that is making the US self-sufficient for oil and natural gas at the expense of the planet’s environment. Fracking releases methane that has been locked up for millions of years and redistrubutes the methane through a large volume (a typical shale gas well uses about 7 million gallons of water to open up the fissures). Some of that released gas is collected, some remains in the ground, and some escapes to the surface or ends up in the groundwater. Methane has a very high GWP (72 to 108 on a 20-year averaging basis) so if only 2% of it eventually escapes to the surface the GHG emission levels are unacceptable. We do not presently know just how much is actually reaching the atmosphere over time, but we do know it is already too much.
I also have reservations about fracking, although I am not yet ready to condemn it completely. Under a previous administration, the EPA was forbidden from investigating fracking. I am not confident of the reliability of any of the readily available information, either pro or con, on fracking. All the sources if information may be biased.
Shale traps natural gas (methane) whereas other rock types tend to be porous The fracking process opens up the fissures in shale so that it too becomes porous for distances of hundreds of feet from the drill hole.and since the shale is surrounded by other porous rock types the newly released methane is like a cloud that is free to diffuse, however slowly that might happen, and inevitably much of that methane will reach the surface. For natural gas the typical “technically recoverable gas” amounts to about 20% of the resource and the “economically recoverable” amount is about one tenth of that. That implies that for every cubic foot of gas that is actually recovered there will be 50 cubic feet of methane floating around. If the GWP is 72 then that is equivalent to releasing 3600 cubic feet of CO2 for every cubic ft. of natural gas that is recovered. The ball is in your court to show how the escape of that gas can be prevented (where “you” refers to the pundits, the industry and the users of fracked natural gas).
You’re preaching to the choir. I couldn’t agree more. US news in just one new distraction after another to avoid having to address real, resolvable issues (which require an understanding of facts).
Ha! You’re completely correct about “preaching to the choir.” Please see: https://2getemp.wordpress.com/2015/03/30/concepts-sustainable-energy/
Seems to me that most, if not all, of the USA’s problems cannot be solved on an ego driven level, because that is the level on which they were made. It is further seen that there are no spiritually guided minds involved in higher levels of government. All available mind power is concentrated upon the accumulation of more wealth and economic development rather than the pacific resolution of world problems which is the only to assure a future at all….. This can only be accomplished by a mind that sees God as a idea that is part of itself, not a being outside ones self which assumes responsibility for oneself…… I would be happy to elaborate for anyone in government that needs clarification on this.It is vital for any forward movement, anywhere or anytime. Without knowledge of the source of wisdom there is no mind to know what is truth or illusion.
While these are worthwhile sentiments those who profess such beliefs also tend to maintain it is not for them to change someone’s mind. Rather change must come from within. Consciousness becomes more important than consequences in the world. The argument for change is then filtered through the argument for a change in consciousness and this is just one step too removed for most people.
BotW; You state good reason to do nothing. Popular media is corporate owned, and only reflects public mood to attain its corporate owned ends. It is only oligarchy that determines what is reflected to media. You say the USA is merely going along with other nations popular opinion. Actually they may well be looking to the US to lead the way. Fat chance!
…….. Besides the climate, there is a logical basis to begin immediately to transition off oil and coal and gas. The sequestered carbon reserves, if left to corporate profit driven ideals, will render the planet too toxic for most life, if desperation does not intervene to push the nuclear war button first!
At one time, news reporting was much better than it is now. TV news often included background information and opposing opinions. Unfortunately, the TV news industry is now motivated only by the desire to maximize profits. That is most effectively done by entertaining the audience to maximize its size thereby maximizing advertising revenue.
Often, a gripping story is repeated over and over ad nauseam. Sometimes, during the same broadcast, information regarding the latest freeway pileup as fed to us one bit at a time to keep us interested. Background information on important events is omitted.
Actually, the audience is just as much at fault as the media. If the audience demanded better coverage then better coverage would be provided.
PBS tends to be better than other media, but even it has its biases and limitations.
The climate of our media has changed radically from being somewhat free and open to a means to an end. Media has become propaganda in the hands of those with the training to use it or the funds to buy it. Without free media democracy must also suffer. Political control shifts to those who control the media.
And so we see “guidelines” in Florida and South Carolina banning the use of certain terms and discussion of certain ideas that are not popular with a conservative governor or a conservative legislature. We also have the FDA which prohibits the labeling of GMO foods. It is a dangerous trend when we are not allowed to know “for national security.” But when we are not allowed to know to protect corporate profits then the government is working for the corporations. Corporations may be “persons” but we have made them immortal gods and sadly there are many worshipers.
Graig,
You sell the US short when it comes to media choice. The US is the only nation on earth with freedom of the press enshrined in it’s constitution, and rigorously upheld.
Indignant demands that the ‘media’ should not be controlled by large corporations with ‘money’, is absurd ! Modern mass media, is a hugely expensive business, and can only be operated by well financed corporations (or government).
Yes, it’s true that shallow sensationalist press outlets, dominate the popular press, but when was it ever different ? Those who harken back to a rosy previous era, should actually read the media of that time, to discover that the popular press has changed very little over the eras,
The reason the “popular” press is popular, is not because of some Machiavellian plot to disseminate propaganda, but the simple truth that’s what the public wants !
There has always been small secondary specialist publications, especially those published by left-wing organizations. The reason these outlets are not popular outside of a narrow group of ‘true-believers’, is the majority of people, are either not interested, or don’t agree with the views expressed .
That’s the right of the public to choose what to believe. It’s just elitist arrogance to claim the only reason the public isn’t interested in the “light on the Hill” political views of small groups of self-appointed, intellectuals, is because the public is “brainwashed’ by mainstream media.
In addition, there’s always the internet, and social media, to allow a wide diversification of information.
In any country the popular media (unless government controlled) will always reflect the self-interest and viewpoint of the national mood and culture of the majority.
There’s always a small, divergent elite, claiming a ‘moral’ or superior ‘high ground’, who sneer at the belief’s and interests of the broad mass of citizens. It’s kinda curious how that same, self-appointed elite, always claim to represent the ‘people’, whom they despise. ( in turn, the people have no interest in them !).
You use the inaccurate, offensive and demeaning term, “Climate Change Denier ” , and claim that U.S. is the only place on Earth that entertains an argument on a subject that science nailed down decades ago.
But this is simply untrue !
In nearly every nation on the planet, there is (and should be) a continuing debate as to what ” climate change “actually means, and what the effects are likely to be. Much of what you call, “the science” has been so distorted and politicized, by over-zealous advocates, pursuing other agenda’s, that even moderate environmentalists, have qualms about associating themselves with fanatic’s.
The reason most legislators, approach environmental issues with caution, is they have learned over the past decade, that popular enthusiasms, can fade very quickly as economic reality sets in, especially once the wildest claims and predictions, made so passionately by zealous advocates, don’t occur !
In recent years, vast amounts of public ( and private) money has been wasted, on a cornucopia of “environmental” projects. This is in addition to vast government funded bureaucracies, created to produce studies, reports, regulations, policies etc,. These have grown so large, that a huge industry has grown up around “climate change”. The vested interest in maintaining this industry is enormous.
Any form of dissent or reassessment, is met with shrill cries of ” heresy ! ” , by those who have so attached themselves to some interpretations of an ongoing scientific study, that an “orthodox’ movement has emerged, with intolerant adherents, “true believers” and Grand Inquisitors !
As a result of this craziness, there is a growing ennui world-wide, with climate change politics among the general public.
The popular media, doesn’t shape public opinion, merely reflects the public mood.
The US enjoys a wide diversity of media, with thousands of publications, and the internet to to source diverse opinions. You may not agree with the rantings of Fox News, but in a functioning democracy the the right of those commentators, to express their brand of craziness, must be respected.
Then, why isn’t “Al Hora”
allowed to broadcast in the USA??
@ P Manke
Try using Roku Box to access Al Hurra. (Al Hora)
so very true as a world traveler I very disappointed the limited new we have here in the USA it ether one story flooded with almost no news week after weeks like the air plane crash but that time would be better spend with 100 different story’s in the same air time