As everyone is sitting around bemoaning the current state of our discourse, this little video - Land of Confusion by the group Genesis - came to mind. I remember hearing the song on the radio coming home from work a few years ago. The DJ said 'wow, they had trouble getting that played back then!' I wondered what he meant. Who had trouble? This was played round the clock when I was in college. It was that time when, sadly, it turned out Ronald Reagan hadn't plunged the world into nuclear annihilation as many had predicted. Hence, the emphasis on 'I can see the fire's still alive' referencing the problems still around. Old prophecies die hard I guess. Now, in terms of our modern discourse, try to imagine a video like this - exactly like it in tone and contempt - aimed at President Obama. I won't hold my breath. Certainly not by any public personality with any hope of continuing a career. So, is it the rhetoric, or is it something else?
Fun note: The 'generation that would put it right' has been in charge for some time now. How do you think they're doing?
That is a great point. I've thought about that as the discussion moves toward our civil discourse. I think many in the media forget just how long this has been going on. Perhaps because the media has been part of the problem. You are right. I can't see a video like this today at all. I can't see youtube allowing it.
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ah how true it is. Do people not remember or do they just chose to ignore the past? You are so correct that video was played all the time on MTV and the song was on the radio all the time. I suppose that people will always choose to remember only what they want to remember. It is a shame in this day and age that people just take things too far.
ReplyDeleteMy take is that too much of the discourse today is around everyone all the time. you have the internet, the 24 hour new cycle, iphones, ipads, smart phones of all sorts that are hooked up to all that information and most of it is not news if any of it really news it is the media and its propoganda ministers.
That aside the shooting sounds like it was a deranged lunatic who that was all over the place. However if we can used this incident to change the veiw that America has on life then maybe we some good can come from it. That is at least my prayer. You just never know when or where someone could be and what they could do.
My prayers remain with all those affected.
It's been the shame of our media that this became a political issue as soon as the sheriff gave his conference. Obviously the pundits in the media have short memories, because I also remember this video and other examples of rhetoric that would be condemned today.
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