Since watching the video in class last week detailing the end of suburbia, one thing in particular stuck with me. How can the media seriously be ignoring this coming crisis? I understand that newspapers, as with all media outlets, are businesses, and going to press with these concerns couldn't possibly help them in that regard. That being said, don't they have some sort of journalistic responsibility to uphold? It seems to me that they owe it to the American public to shed light on the desperate circumstances we find ourselves in, thanks to our reliance on fossil fuels that will someday be nonexistent. Surely the best way to solve this massive problem is not to ignore it, and that is exactly what our country's newspapers and other media outlets seem to be doing. If America is to maintain our position as a world leader, we're going to have to work together to find new ways to conserve energy and reduce our oil dependency. How can we work together if the media is purposely brushing the issue under the rug?
Just as an anecdote, the other day I was watching TV when a commercial for BMW came on. The ad showed a band-new car showing off its power and handling. Then a man came on and said "American's have always been known for finding new ways to be responsible", and he then proceeded to pitch the idea of Americans buying their new BMW (a German car company not typically associated with fuel efficiency) as a responsible purchase in terms of environmental-friendliness. I found the commercial pretty hilarious; Americans, who create more pollution than any other world citizens have always been known for being responsible? Really? Needless to say, we're going to have to get responsible, and fast, or we're going to face dire consequences.
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I strongly agree with Chris's concern that the media is being very irresponsible and very unprofessional in terms of providing viewers with accurate information. But to bring up a point that was brought up in the "End of Suburbia", the man that stated the theory of the "cluster-f***" also stated that the media is keeping us, as citizens, in a trance. He believed that the media's purpose is to manipulate the public's thoughts and opinions by somewhat over-exaggerating certain stories, and ignoring others. Through my own interpretation I think he meant that the media is somewhat masking reality. If one were to reflect upon the "top" stories of the media, most would be completely irrelevant to the aspects of real life. An example of this which concerns me about the public, is that nearly every American can name the NFL star who gets paid millions, who also happens to be a criminal for sloughtering innocent dogs as sport, but I'll bet that none of those same people can name atleast one person that has died overseas fighting for our freedom.
ReplyDeleteSo it is my belief that the media is controlled primarily by corporate sponsors or government officials who believe that the public opinion can (and has been) manipulated. The media has kept us focused on how many yards a runningback ran in a game, if John and Kate will ever get back together, what the next Twighlight movie will be about, and the latest drama on the Real World. I believe that the public has fallen for the media's tricks in hiding the realities of life. I for one do not like to watch reality shows where I sit and watch ignorant people live their lives and fight over meaningless drama that in no way is advantageous to our own lives. I think the public needs to wake up and turn off Fox News, MTV and Sportscenter and focus on the real realities of life that are actually important and that are actually effecting us.