My goodness it is hard to sort the news from the nonsense these days. Depending on your source the big story of the day yesterday was something about some birthday book – which definitely was NOT news, Or it was the Israeli strike against Hamas leadership in Qatar. I am not even going to begin to unpack that strike – I will leave that up to three pieces from The Free Press – One – Two – Three. The implications of this are massive. Relatedly, this is stupid. It so deeply cheapens the Holocaust as to be disgusting. But I think the real news is the news and the increasingly evident lack of rational thought that has lead to confusion about what is and is not news.
Among other things, yesterday we learned that two major stories, both related to the Israel/Hamas war are hoaxes – one concerning the slaughter of children in Gaza and the other concerning Greta (perpetually scowling) Thunberg. The first is pure propaganda. I am beginning to suspect that Thunberg is just a social media moneymaker. I have a friend whose father was a big, big deal in television back in the day. They contend that it was the death of the Fairness Doctrine that has killed news. Maybe, but it was not until social media and the capability to monetize pure garbage that it became so difficult to sort the wheat and the chaff. Although I must comment that the fact that math and reading scores amongst graduating high school seniors are in the toilet doesn’t help much. (No wonder stuff like this happens.)
But at least when there is a battle over spin we can sort through the news and try and suss out the truth. When it comes to the walking, talking scandal that was the last days of the Biden Administration, the news is simply being buried. Apparently it was far easier to get a pardon than it was a coherent sentence out of the president. I am only finding this news from conservative blogs who read Axios – which most conservatives have no time for anymore. And that’s weird. Axios can, belatedly, claim to be all over the story (where were they when it mattered?) in an effort to preserve something like a reputation while burying the news because nobody that matters in Washington right now reads them.
The news landscape is a minefield at the moment. Sometimes we are being lead down a primrose path. Sometimes we are being kept in the dark. Sometimes we are being told no news is big news. Sometimes lies are uncritically portrayed as truth. Most people have given up trying to figure it out. And so we no longer vote based on a set of issues and a rational consideration of them. No, instead we vote on momentary impressions and relatability. Which in turn means our electeds are perpetually running for election and leaving actual governance to the monstrosity that is the Administrative State.
Yesterday was an incredibly consequential day in geopolitics. History pivoted. And yet my feed is full to the brim with news of things unimportant. Never has it been more incumbent on the average citizen to work very hard to be well informed – to read a wide variety of sources – to do so critically and to ignore social media for anything about news – keep in touch with your friends that way, but it ends there. Otherwise, this movie ceases to be entertaining and becomes prophecy.
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