Fabulous post, Ben. Well written and well reasoned. Bravo and well played!
The underpinning of media pessimism is usually found in untruths intended to bend or shape the narrative to support some strongly held bias by the author or the establishment for which the author takes up the pen.
In many instances, the author is simply a wordsmith and has no authentic chops about the subject -- talking to you, The Atlantic.
We are inundated with information, disinformation, misinformation, and partial information.
Why?
Usually because the author is trying to manipulate our view and, thus, our actions or support for action/inaction. This is the mother's milk of politics.
Right now, the Russians -- unsuccessful on the battlefield whilst their economy is contracting -- are engaged in the largest disinformation/misinformation campaign in the history of warfare.
They are trying to do with words what they cannot do with guns.
Ronald Reagan is a great example of a positive influence on politics and, more importantly, leadership. Jimmy Carter, with his cardigan sweaters in front of the fire urging us to lower our expectations and our thermostats, is the other end of the spectrum.
I pick Carter as he was and is the best ex-President in US history and not a bomb thrower.
People want to follow leaders who have a positive vision of the future, who are focused on a mission to arrive at that better destination, and who have crafted strategy, tactics, and objectives to actually getting there.
We must all plan for the worst, and hope for the best and sing and whistle our way through life.
I agree with your observations regarding the current state of trust in news media. The shift from objective analysis to opinion-driven “viewpoint” reporting has contributed significantly to the decline in American’s trust of news media.
Regarding your thoughts on American leadership, your observation about the desire for leaders with a positive vision is intriguing. It's an interesting contrast to the current rhetoric from our two leading candidates Biden "global warming is even more frightening than nuclear war..." and Trump "we pledge to you that we will root out the communists, Marxists, fascists and the radical left thugs that live like vermin within the confines of our country...," both of whom seem to focus more on highlighting threats and dangers rather than outlining a positive, forward-looking strategy. It raises the question: are Americans truly yearning for leaders who can provide a hopeful vision for the future, or has the political climate shifted to a point where fear and negativity are more effective tools for rallying support?
We have totally lost the discipline of professional journalism wherein "news" belonged on the front page and was sourced, checked, and edited and "opinion" belonged on the editorial page and was not necessarily the view of the publisher and there was a healthy debate with letters-to-the-editor.
Those days are gone. So far gone as to have left the memory of most Americans too young to have seen Walter Cronkite. I think Dan Rather is the guy who broke the code.
Social media has made everyone with an Internet connection or a cell phone into experts -- you and me included -- which dramatically broadens the noise at the expense of the signal (truth).
Negative campaigning works -- Willie Horton ads worked for Geo HW Bush v Dukakis. Simple fact. People act upon their fears moreso than their hopes.
Campaigning is wildly different than governing and once anybody actually gets the job there is a verifiable track record to add into the matrix.
I believed that Donald Trump had a vastly greater propensity to lead the US into a catastrophic war -- which he did not showing one what the Hell I know -- but I had no idea how the incompetence, weakness, and fecklessness of the Biden government dramatically magnified that propensity. I blame much of the Biden admin's problems on the military that has not risen to the real world challenges.
While there is no shortage of contradictory utterances from all candidates, I did think Biden's long time in the Senate would cool the hot saucer, but it has not only not, it has exacerbated it.
The guy is just a moron.
I would never suggest Trump is not capable of saying anything. I think of him as the Language Mangler, but I do give him credit for a basically positive message: Make America Great Again.
Both of these men have a track record of 4 years of governance with definitive outcomes upon which the electorate can feast and compare when they make their ultimate decision.
Fabulous post, Ben. Well written and well reasoned. Bravo and well played!
The underpinning of media pessimism is usually found in untruths intended to bend or shape the narrative to support some strongly held bias by the author or the establishment for which the author takes up the pen.
In many instances, the author is simply a wordsmith and has no authentic chops about the subject -- talking to you, The Atlantic.
We are inundated with information, disinformation, misinformation, and partial information.
Why?
Usually because the author is trying to manipulate our view and, thus, our actions or support for action/inaction. This is the mother's milk of politics.
Right now, the Russians -- unsuccessful on the battlefield whilst their economy is contracting -- are engaged in the largest disinformation/misinformation campaign in the history of warfare.
https://themusingsofthebigredcar.com/the-massive-russian-misinformation-disinformation-campaign/
They are trying to do with words what they cannot do with guns.
Ronald Reagan is a great example of a positive influence on politics and, more importantly, leadership. Jimmy Carter, with his cardigan sweaters in front of the fire urging us to lower our expectations and our thermostats, is the other end of the spectrum.
I pick Carter as he was and is the best ex-President in US history and not a bomb thrower.
People want to follow leaders who have a positive vision of the future, who are focused on a mission to arrive at that better destination, and who have crafted strategy, tactics, and objectives to actually getting there.
We must all plan for the worst, and hope for the best and sing and whistle our way through life.
JLM
www.themusingsofthebigredcar.com
Jeff,
Thanks as always for your thoughtful response.
I agree with your observations regarding the current state of trust in news media. The shift from objective analysis to opinion-driven “viewpoint” reporting has contributed significantly to the decline in American’s trust of news media.
Regarding your thoughts on American leadership, your observation about the desire for leaders with a positive vision is intriguing. It's an interesting contrast to the current rhetoric from our two leading candidates Biden "global warming is even more frightening than nuclear war..." and Trump "we pledge to you that we will root out the communists, Marxists, fascists and the radical left thugs that live like vermin within the confines of our country...," both of whom seem to focus more on highlighting threats and dangers rather than outlining a positive, forward-looking strategy. It raises the question: are Americans truly yearning for leaders who can provide a hopeful vision for the future, or has the political climate shifted to a point where fear and negativity are more effective tools for rallying support?
Ben
We have totally lost the discipline of professional journalism wherein "news" belonged on the front page and was sourced, checked, and edited and "opinion" belonged on the editorial page and was not necessarily the view of the publisher and there was a healthy debate with letters-to-the-editor.
Those days are gone. So far gone as to have left the memory of most Americans too young to have seen Walter Cronkite. I think Dan Rather is the guy who broke the code.
Social media has made everyone with an Internet connection or a cell phone into experts -- you and me included -- which dramatically broadens the noise at the expense of the signal (truth).
Negative campaigning works -- Willie Horton ads worked for Geo HW Bush v Dukakis. Simple fact. People act upon their fears moreso than their hopes.
Campaigning is wildly different than governing and once anybody actually gets the job there is a verifiable track record to add into the matrix.
I believed that Donald Trump had a vastly greater propensity to lead the US into a catastrophic war -- which he did not showing one what the Hell I know -- but I had no idea how the incompetence, weakness, and fecklessness of the Biden government dramatically magnified that propensity. I blame much of the Biden admin's problems on the military that has not risen to the real world challenges.
While there is no shortage of contradictory utterances from all candidates, I did think Biden's long time in the Senate would cool the hot saucer, but it has not only not, it has exacerbated it.
The guy is just a moron.
I would never suggest Trump is not capable of saying anything. I think of him as the Language Mangler, but I do give him credit for a basically positive message: Make America Great Again.
Both of these men have a track record of 4 years of governance with definitive outcomes upon which the electorate can feast and compare when they make their ultimate decision.
JLM
www.themusingsofthebigredcar.com