General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Regarding Hillary Clinton [View all]H2O Man
(73,511 posts)The media demands tension -- let's take television -- or else people would simply turn to another channel, or turn the tv off. We don't even have to look to its political reporting to find an example that illustrates this. The reporting of weather forecasts is big business today. The biggest storm ever is frequently on its way.
That's not to suggest that "weather" is unimportant. It obviously is. And it involves the very serious issues involved in climate change. It should be a topic that assists us in not only planning to go on a picnic today, or carry an umbrella tomorrow ....it should make us think about our individual relationship with the environment.
But by being a form of dramatic entertainment, it too often results in herd behavior. One of my friends and I take note of how when the local radio station reports that next biggest storm ever is but a day away, the herd goes to the local grocery store, and cleans it out. Better get 12 loaves of bread, just in case! Stock up on fuel, too. And, by no coincidence, the weather reports on that radio station are provided by none other than the local grocery store and fuel company -- which are in business together, and located next door to one another.
The political reporting likewise encourages and promotes herd behavior, including "our herd vs the other herd." And it is sponsored by the very corporations that capitalize off both herds' ignorance. Those news sources rarely if ever appeal to a person to consider their individual responsibilities to the political climate in America.