by BigTex » Fri 08 Aug 2008, 12:48:47
I'll bet the producer for the piece would be especially excited if he/she could locate a homesteader/survivalist with an eye patch.
The eye patch is like a credential that says "I'm hardcore."
However well-intentionaed such a piece would be, I just don't see how it could have as its underlying message anything other than "look how crazy these people are."
The alternative underlying message would be "look how smart these people are and look how dumb all of you viewers are."
The news is entertainment. The original reality show.
Decontextualized, homogenized, advertiser-certified and delivered straight to your living room to titillate, obfuscate, and exfoliate any tubers of truth that might have sprouted in your mind since your last media treatment.
When a civilization's storytellers become corrupted, further cultural decay is sure to follow.
"But Mr. BigTex, we are doing our job and running a business here."
Yes, and Edward R. Murrow does the hula in his grave.