The Gore/Moore syndrome

[jpgray]

I think an interesting part of our culture right now is that we greedily accept paraphrased accounts more than we should. I know I am often guilty of looking at an article in LBN or the Editorial forum and just reading the snipped paragraphs before making a comment or leaving the thread, while ignoring the link and the full article. And really, one can miss the entire point of the article, being fooled by a selective bit of editing or an obfuscating paraphrase.

The media are able to pull off this exact same thing, but to much greater effect. Therefore Soledad O'Brien can call Gore's recent speech a 'rant', when if one watched the whole hour, one would never use that word to describe it. This also allows people who have never seen Michael Moore's films to call them biased, shrill, and propaganda--the actual films can be appreciated no matter what your politics. You can also bring this into the realm of politics, where calling Dean 'too angry', Gore 'phony', or Kucinich 'crazy' is easy to do because so few have paid any real attention to the candidates themselves without the media middlemen.

Now, people familiar with the entire matter being discussed have no problem seeing the spin for what it is, but those who haven't will get their perception colored forever. For example, an argument could be made that Bush is a phony (2000 campaign-season purchase of Texas ranch, elite East coast education) or a flip-flopper, but the press choose not to paraphrase him that way, almost as though it were by unspoken agreement. I think the low attention span of all of us, and the media's ability to manipulate it, has a lot to do with where the country is right now.

[goclark]

1. Solodad is a Barbie

and a stupid Barbie at that-what a mess.
Did she graduate from high school? She has the nerve to think she is Dinae Sawyer but she is no better then Fox News.

[Psst_Im_Not_Here]

2. Agreed

What's the answer? On a personal level, educate educate educate, yourself and anyone who will listen! I think my friends, family and acquaintances are getting tired of me talking about everything over and over. But, I will persist, it's too important not to.

[IrateCitizen]

3. You're exactly right -- I don't really know what else to say...

Except that I try to correct myself when I catch myself doing exactly what you talked about above.

[sangh0]

4. Here's an example

of someone not thinking about what was written, and liking it because it seems to agree with their own position. The fool doesn't realize that the piece, by a well-known conservative, is shilling for Bush*

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x1696520

[sangh0]

5. Here's another

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x1702444#1706474

An article says Kerry's foreign policy is just like Bush*'s, so DUers agree because.....they agree.