Topic awaiting preservation: war 24/7??

maybe it's just me...but...i don't understand WHY this war has to be televised 24/7. i'm all for getting regular updates, but i feel like if i don't watch it that i'm a.) not being patriotic b.) not supporting our troops c.) being horribly self-centered d.) turning a blind eye to the things that are going on in a far away part of the world so i don't have to worry/care about it or the people it's happening to.
i feel bad for not wanting to know about every single soldier that is killed, where they're killed, how they're killed and how exactly their family and friends feel about it! yet, i feel like i SHOULD watch/listen/know.

IS it just me?? AM i a horrible person for turning it off?? is anyone else feeling this way??


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Cell 1007::SST

Yes, I am getting pretty sick and fucking tired of it too - tv, radio, internet...
America just doesn't know how to do anything without a full media blitz anymore.

Though I hardly dare to say such things publicly for fear of being branded a communist or a terrorist and being burned at the stake for lack of patriotism

I'm also quite tired of the lack of distinction between not supporting the bush administration and not supporting troops in action.



[This message has been edited by DL-44 (edited 03-24-2003).]

^ COMMUNIST ^



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I also.

It's not like I don't want the news, or want to know what is going on, but the fact that the channels repeat the same informations every ten minutes.

get rid of your televisions. those tv people, they're not like us.

Jason

You guys should come watch TV at my place. Not only will you get a slightly different (ahem) take on the war, but you'll also get a good sprinkling of news about North Korea interspersed with the Iraq bits.

There is one cable channel that does pretty much give 24/7 war coverage here--I make it a point not to watch that, though.





www.liminality.org

I don't watch much tv anyway...but whenver I turn it on, about half the existing channels are nothing but iraq coverage. It's worse than the OJ trials...

Take it from someone who works in the industry. It's less about keeping people informed than it is about making sure the other guy doesn't get more air time than you.

It all comes down to exposure for the station. The more exposure you get, the more people will identify with you and the more they'll tune in. The more they tune in, the more ratings you get and along with that come more advertising dollars. If the other stations are up and you aren't, that's money you lose.

If there's the potential for something to happen and you're the only one not on the air when it does, well everyone's just going to tune in somewhere else.

^^case in point

Jason

Is that some sort of commentary on my being an attention whore?

Hey, I'm talking to you. Look at me, dammit!

Over here! Hey!

well thank you for replying....i'm feeling much better now. i think i was feeling a bit overwhelmed by it all yesterday.
wes, thanks for putting that spin on it...i didn't think of it that way!

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Cell 1007::SST

Yes, just turn on the news source once a day and get the low down. There is absolutely no need to sit there glued to the TV when there is your life to lead.

You've also got to realize that having a 24/7 news channel presents some difficulties. After the news, you can't go back to the regularly scheduled programming because it's just more news. As you are listening to any of the cable news networks, as soon as you here the first issue repeated, turn it off. They will just go round and round from that point and you will know you've heard all they have for a while.

What war?



Cell 816 ~ teamEarth ~ Asylum Quotes

Bug made me realize another point. Not everyone tunes in at the same time and hardly anyone watches an entire program. For example, we do a 2-hour morning show. We realize nobody watches for the entire two hours. That's why we run the important packages once each hour and cover the headlines several times.

When something big like the war occurs, there aren't developments every 5 minutes, but there are a lot of developments. You want people to be able to tune in at just about any point and find out what's going on before they get back to their regular lives. Nobody really expects the public to watch non-stop.

Valid point and all wes, but it's still just overkill to an amazing extent.

It's not "news", it's propaganda. It amazes me to watch some of the insipid schlock that passes for "news reporting" these days. What really disturbs me is that I know most people watch this reporting and think they are seeing what's actually going on. This coverage has been ever more biased and nihalistic than the last couple of "wars" that America has indulged in.

I wonder if the Bush administration is buying their own press or if they realize that they are walking into a trap. I'm betting the former. Dubya is a coke addict who has had a couple years of trying to deal with running the US. Hussain has dealt with a country dominated by force his whole life. I'd say we're at an experience defecit here. I'd hate to see Bush lead a 1/3 of a million US troops into a slaughter just to appease his testosterone fix... not to mention the incalcuable loss of life on the iraqi side.




It's only after we've lost everything...
That we're free to do anything...

I'ma hafta go JEss Jackson here and say, if it pays the bills, it ain't ovah-kills

Jason

Hey, I'm not trying to justify it, I'm just sharing why it happens.

Believe me, I'm surrounded by it 9 hours a day. And I can't turn it off. You can't be more sick of it than I am.

MindBender, your analysis seems just a bit overwrought to me. Coke addict? Coca cola perhaps? What are you talking about?

Everything you hear has a spin and I have no idea what time in history you think "news" wasn't biased. The trick is to get lots of news sources and sift through the propoganda. It can be done, please try it and perhaps without the hyperbole? Sheesh!!!

[edit] grammar [/edit]

[This message has been edited by Bugimus (edited 03-26-2003).]

quote:

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For example, we do a 2-hour morning show.

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Wes, I'm sorry if this is common knowledge, but where do you work?

Yes, bug I'm well aware that "news" always has a spin to it... what I was saying is that it seems much worse now than before. I wasn't employing hyperbole... that would have been much more overblown and obvious.

So, let's add some alternative news sources to the mix to "sift through" as you say...

Just to whet your appetite, I particularly liked this interview with G.B. Sr.

"In an April 1998 interview with Houston Public News reporter Toby Rogers, former President George Bush's Chief of Staff Michael C. Dannenhauer2 admitted that G. W. Bush "was out of control since college. There was cocaine use, lots of women, but the drinking was the worst." According to Dannenhauer, Bush's use of cocaine started "sometime before 1977" and that former President Bush told him that George W. even experienced some "lost weekends in Mexico." "
http://www.counterpunch.org/wormer1011.html
http://www.fair.org/issues-news/wbush.html

http://www.realchange.org/bushjr.htm

http://www.sonofbush.com/cocaine.htm

http://www.monitor.net/monitor/0001a/fortunateson.html

http://www.thepornographyofpower.com/tom46.html

http://www.progress.org/archive/drc12.htm

Now... I've seen reports of this on the traditional American news wires (ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN, etc.), but when I went to look at them again... the message on the article page said "This article has been removed"... hmm.

Yes, I think he was elected out of corruption. Yes, I think he's a freaking moron. Does my personal prejudice mean it's not true? Hell no. I just hope we're all alive long enough to prove it.

And not to keep the tone too somber... a quote from the Hitchehiker's Guide...

"Anyone who is capable of getting themselves made President should on no account be allowed to do the job." ? Douglas Adams, RIP


It's only after we've lost everything...
That we're free to do anything...

[This message has been edited by MindBender (edited 03-26-2003).]

This is an interesting article on how the covergae has taken on aspects of porn, sport and entertainment:
www.guardian.co.uk/g2/story/0,3604,921919,00.html

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Emps

FAQs: Emperor

i'm sorry emps...but i think that woman has a bit of penis envy and/or needs a good root!!! it's not enough that there's all the bad reporting going on...but now we need 'freaky' reporting about the bad reporting?? silliness!

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Cell 1007::SST

MindBender, I was reacting to "Dubya is a coke addict". I'm not questioning his past condition. Once a person has sobered up, you no longer refer to them as an addict in the present tense. One of the sources you cited even pointed out we're talking about a past problem. I think this political litmus testing of past drug use is inane, and I didn't approve of it for C*****n anymore that I do for Dubya.

bugs: yes, technically, you do still refer to them as an addict (or alcoholic). they may be in recovery and you could refer to them as a "recoverying addict", but they're still addicts. even in meetings they refer to themselves as such: hi, my name is "blah" and i'm an alcoholic or addict. they'll be the first one to tell you they are what they are and will always be.

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Cell 1007::SST

Good point, Lacuna Is that the term you meant to use, MindBender?

Bugs, I work at CBS in Fort Worth. (They like to say Dallas to sound more important, but although we have an office in Dallas, the studio is in Fort Worth.)

Oh, and I'm a camera op.

Lacuna - I couldn't agree more.

She seems to wish she had some of those "phallic toys" to play with herself

I find myself becoming an expert against my will.. getting to know people and things I would rather not... I don't watch the news at all and yet still know everything that is happening.

"There will be wars and rumours of war in one place after another.. and people will become faint out of fear because of the things taking place in the inhabited earth"

I just try to keep an eye on the prophetic significance of all these events.. Pay attention.. there is more to come... much more...

...xpi...

"nuff said"

What prophetic significance? Please to be expanding

[This message has been edited by Bugimus (edited 04-04-2003).]

On a note considering the topic, this Cable News Networks Bring in The Snipers

And we are supposed to then 'trust' the reliability of the news that they air? I find this most appropriate

quote:

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"MSNBC should be more concerned about being an embarrassment to GE than [about] who we employ," the network said.

Washington Post

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And that this made news...hehe...the News reporting on the other News networks...good grief!

X - are you quoting Nostradamus? Don'cha know those quatraines can be interpreted to fit just about any situation?

Bodhi - Cell 617

[This message has been edited by bodhi23 (edited 04-04-2003).]

bodhi23: No I was not referring to Nostradamus at all. I finished with him when I was but an impressionable youth. What I was referring to would require such a grossly oversized posting that I would be scolded by Bugs again, and the last thing I want to do is annoy or irritate others. I have to get round to linking material on these topics. I find 'snippets' and 'wordbites' do not do justice to some of these oh such facinating issues. If only I had more time and space...

...xpi...


"nuff said"

~chuckles~ That's right, you had better be careful, X. But seriously, I would be interested to know what prophecies you are referring to as well.

And I think I understand your point about wanting to do a subject justice. I often take a long time to craft a reply to some of these issues because a quick response simply can't say what needs saying. I don't mind waiting for some quality material while you collect it. I've been here a few years now and I don't intend on leaving anytime soon so take your time

. . : slicePuzzle

I am sick of the 24/7 as well......and like some others....hardly dare to breathe a word of complaint...for fear of lack of patriotism. While I am at it....I hate blind patriotism.

"whenever I find myself on the side of the majority, I pause and reflect. " Mark Twain

Well, I've stuck to my guns throughout this...conflict - I don't think anyone actually called me unpatriotic...kind of hard to call a veteran unpatriotic, isn't it? In fact, I think that mostly confused the pro-war people, when they found that out...'Oh...umm...you were in the first Gulf War?...oh...well, uhmmm...' *fidgets and looks slightly uncomfortable* 'As I was saying...' *eyes me strangely*

Mostly, I got that reaction, followed by the question 'Why aren't you supporting this one, then?'

Yep...