CONFUSED CONFUSION
Do all voters realize what is taking place in the various Democratic Party Primaries?
I have listened to people talking about what they have been seeing on TV, and I have come to realize that some of those who watch are sometimes of the opinion that this is the real thing. I actually have heard two such voters complaining that "them folks out there in Iowa and up in New Hampshire get to vote fer President afore we do and that ain’t right!” They seemed to be in agreement on that, and one asked of other which one of them "are you gonna vote for when we get our turn?"
Those two discussed the negative aspects of the men running for the nomination .The dwelt almost entirely on the negative aspects of the candidates and told each other and anyone else in the group in which we were all waiting for a delayed bus why they could not vote for so-and-so. They seemed resigned to wait until our section of the county got to vote. Our bus came along and I did not find out which candidate displeased them the most.
We sometimes forget that we are now taking much of what we used to term "news" to be "ëntertaiment".The major talk radio personalities speak of themselves now as being members of the entertainment species rather than being designated as "reporters" or "commentators". Their adherence to factual information wavers at times in order to be more alluring as they seek to expand their audience into new areas. We, the listeners do not always make such a selective designation.
Candidates, too, in keeping with the latest changes will do and say certain things which satify this novelety liking among viewers at home, Extended shots showing Kerry on the ice with genuine hockey players, is a good example. It has very little to do with the political issues at hand, but it is of vital imporatance in connecting with thousand of sport fans all across the spectrum - young and old, men and women, who see Kerry is a more, acceptable light than before. The various networks can, and do, make selections and highlight points of special interest to their specific viewers likings.
And, we need to be aware of the fact that a great many people who say they "watch" TV are rather addicted to watching cable and other such topical channels rather than the network outlets. Take time to wander up the channels from twelve to whatever extremes your system might go, and - except for
some of C-Span, Fox, CNN and MS-NBC the viewpoint one gets concerning current poltiicial affairs is that of forty-year old reruns in many cases.
Notice, too, how often some people start off with crediting their political statements to a Delphic authority of their own making ...someone ,or something, called "they”. If a political view follows "They say..."or "They tell me..."you can be sure you are in wisdom's wasteland at its worst. The show elements disapper as we then head into a series of seven such primaries which become more serious and deliberate with several favorites running and with less need of being different.
By this time, too, opposition is firming up and some real issues are brought forth. There wil be a grand show at each of the National Conventions, then four years before we do it all over again.
A.L.M. January 28, 2004 [c490wds]
