Irish Gonzo Access Journalism and “the devil on my right”

 

I gave the President my book. He raised an eyebrow. “Who wrote this for ya, Geldof?” he said without looking up from the cover. Very dry. “Who will you get to read it for you, Mr. President?” I replied. No response.

The Time article “Geldof and Bush: Diary From the Road” by Bob Geldof on Bush and Africa is a strange, slightly surreal and very passive/ aggressive example of access journalism at its weirdest since Hunter Thompson decided to blow us all off.

With observations ranging from Bush as a “likeable guy” to the wickedly phrased “many people view him as a walking crime against humanity” (right to his face – Bush apparently looked very hurt at the remark) this meandering article is an absolute must read.

 Geldof acknowledges the positive policy decisions the Bush administration has made regarding Africa but….but… I cannot tell if the nice guy/not stupid view of Bush is the real thing or not.

And that is a problem with access journalism.

Considering the importance that Geldof places on aid to Africa, it’s possible that all of his observations are  best viewed through the prism of his famous Live Aid quote :  “I’ll shake hands with the devil on my left and I’ll shake hands with the devil on my right to get where we need to be” .

 I think Bob might say just about anything to make his point and get the aid that is needed.

The New Yorker: Stupidly Controversial Satire

 

I guess the owners and editors of The New Yorker magazine felt it was their turn to spike the ratings with yet another idiotic and stupidly controversial Mainstream Media offering.

Tyring to discern motive and intent in their works has become nothing but a waste of time.

I watch with sad amazement as the moronic Corporate Media furiously spins itself into a venal, loudmouthed and ultimately empty irrelevancy.

 Update: As I implied in the comment section, this issue has very little to do with politics, nuance, satire or the furtherance of a national discourse and everything to do with attempting to capture some news cycle time – at any damn cost at all – to improve the investors bottom line by making it all about The New Yorker.

Their explanations are more cynical lies.

 Mission accomplished.

We Are The Manchurian Candidate – Boomers as Unknowing Extremists

During an interesting post and discussion at Orcinus on the subject of hard right wing extremism, someone referred to Boomers as extremists. Being a pretty sharp group over there, the suggestion was, for the most part, prodded once or twice, politely laughed at and forgotten.

However it did get me to thinking briefly on the idea, and wondering in what ways, if any, the Baby Boomer generation might exhibit extreme behaviour.

Though it was a rather distant off topic subject, I scribbled a few lines and threw them into the pot at Orcinus. I hope to give this some more time and thought – that is, to see if there may be any substance to the suggestion of Boomers – or some Boomer behaviours - being considered extremist beyond the few vague ideas I touched on in the comment, but until then I have reprinted my remarks below and invite any observations.

 

Boomers can be seen as extremists only to the extent that many of us are showing the signs of the protracted and intense (though not necessarily organized) mind - control assault we’ve been living under all these years, courtesy of our benevolent government and corporate overseers. We voice opinions though we are uncertain of the source. We assert conventional wisdoms that are nothing of the kind, and we cloak ourselves in our education – often unaware that there may be other purposes behind the knowledge we have learned.

I’m thinking this accounts for much of the “vote against your own interests” phenomena.

And yes, I think I will let the mind – control term stand.

On the positive side, there are some recent signs that suggest it is possible to shake off some of the controlling factors that have been laced into our very psyches.

As an example, it seems to me that many people I know have begun listening to the Corporate Media with a more cynical and nuanced ear. This neural blow-back (or perhaps even paradigm shift) is not just a result of recent right wing over reach, though that is probably what set it off.

A larger reason may be a subtle awakening, horrified recognition and a frantic flight or fight to regain ownership of our own mass psyche.

Archer | Homepage | 07.01.08 – 8:52 pm | #

 

Quite clearly I am suggesting that on the surface, Boomers would more likely be unwilling or even unknowing extremists through the imposition of ideas not their own, not true and not to their benefit.

We are the Manchurian Candidate.

That is not to say that there may not also be fully conscious, overt extreme behaviour evidenced by Boomers from oh, let’s say… 1960 to today. But my sense is, despite the Me Decade and the Greed Decade and the F*ck You Decade and whatever else, the majority of Boomers would do the right thing the majority of the time if they were given half a chance to get some truth and make some decisions based on reality for a change.

But of course, that’s all theoretical, isn’t it?