We Deserve What We Get
This column is not about Hillary vs. Obama vs. Edwards. The truth is if I had the choice I'd vote for Dennis Kucinich because he's against the war, for the impeachment of war criminals in government, smart on the environment and the economy, and he has a sense of humor about UFOS. He's not afraid to joke about 'em for fear he'll be labeled a nutcase -- as indeed he was.
But I don't have that option. Kucinich represents my views, but he only got 1% in New Hampshire. Too bad.
I want to talk not about candidates but about our media turning every presidential election into a high school popularity contest. And we let them get away with it. And we don't stop Rupert Murdoch, Clear Channel, Disney, GE, Sumner Redstone and a few others from owning all the media all the time.
Our magazines and newspapers are so dumbed down that they never discuss issues, only stereotype or attack or puff up candidates -- and all for the most idiotic things -- like their marriages, which in truth we know nothing about -- or their weight or their clothes or their hair. They don't discuss brains, intelligence, psychological maturity, but only who's up or down in the polls, cuter in photos, who misted up, cried or didn't cry, said "my friends" like Reagan or mimicked Bill Clinton's style or JFK's or whomever's. Our press is a disgrace.
When Al Gore was a candidate, he was mocked and slimed by our stupid press. And look who we got? Cheneybush! Now Hillary's being slimed for being a woman, for being the wife of, for being smart, for being political, for being old, for not having left her husband -- just as she'd be slimed if she had left her husband. She has baggage -- like any old broad -- because the truth is that the older you are the more baggage you have. So there's ageism too. And a new fresh face, with less baggage, is like the latest starlet in Hollywood. We never heard about Edwards' ideas until his wife got cancer. We heard about his haircuts!
We never discuss psychological depth because hey, who cares if the president's a bomb-happy dry-drunk trying to play out an Oedipal war with his father? We never talk about people being tested in power or how steady they are or whether they read books or understand what they read because we judge them on their looks. Or one idiotic sound byte, taken out of context.
We had gazillions of columns about Al Gore's weight gain and growing a beard -- I was even asked to write one for the New York Times -- and I obliged because that's all the news that's fit to print and I like shooting my mouth off on the Op-Ed page as much as anyone. Besides women writers are only drafted for the most trivial subjects. We comment on style not substance, beards not policy, clothes and shoes and chick lit and cooking. The men get the big topics like war, though women have the most to lose--like their children whom they carried and nursed and suckled and love more than themselves--as of course do many men.
Bush was considered a good ole boy and Gore was a considered a nerd. Now Edwards cares too much about his hair, Hillary "cried" in the press--though she didn't cry in reality. But we live in this parallel universe where there is no reality. Obama? Who knows who he is? A brilliant writer, yes, a cute young guy, yes, a progressive, we think. But who really knows? I give him the benefit of the doubt. Why not? But what a stupid way to choose a President!
If Eleanor Roosevelt were alive and running, they'd talk about her big teeth and her hoity toity accent. If JFK were alive and running, they'd reveal his affair with Marilyn and slander his wife for it. If Jackie O were alive and running, they'd say she fucked Onassis -- which she did -- while she was married to JFK. If Plato were alive and running, they'd say he was gay--though many Greeks were bisexual and thought nothing of it.
So kids, if you elect a President of the United States like you elected the President of the GO in High School, you deserve what you get.
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Yet another reason for the media to be replaced. TV media, in particular, is 'imminently' replaceable by anybody with a broadband connection. Now that the Writer's Guild is out on strike, we are not only at a point in time where the technology is feasible, but there is also tons of creative talented people who are not gainfully employed, whose union is under attack, and who may need a media replacement in order to survive in their field. Indeed, I've read that some writers are already setting up their own production companies, with the intent to distribute over the internet.
The fact that most of the Writer's Guild material is in the realm of fiction in not a bad thing. As a matter of fact, it's a good thing, because most Americans are going to spend more time entertaining themselves rather than educating themselves, even under the best of circumstances. Hence, it's probably not enough to merely offer a media replacement with news and documentaries. You need the fluff, too. :-)
Please see my proposal "Putting the NY Times Out of Business"
>> Putting the NY Times Out of Business
Amen, Erica! But since the media is the message, all of our leading candidates--including Obama--are more concerned with catering to the media than to the voters. Genuinely different candidates like Kucinich don't stand a chance, unfortunately. By the time I have a chance to vote in the primary, my candidate (Kucinich) will already be an afterthought. Wish I had the answer, but the problem is systemic. Maybe we hold ALL the primaries all on the same day, so voters don't get influenced by what the media reports about what a relative handful of voters in Iowa and New Hampshire do?
Excellant Post Erica.
Is it a HS popularity contest, or is it about entertainment, titillation, soundbytes and myths?
Does the MSM really care about who will be the best president, or are they concerned what stories generate the most advertising revenues? It is a Brittney Spears world, and we report our politics the same way.
The race would be a drag if all they talked about was Iraq and showed pictures of disabled vets, so the MSM keeps it light by focusing on haircuts, tears, sex and race. It is a pity that Edwards and Kucinich never get the airtime they deserved.
Right on Erica,
The voters brought Bill Clinton to the White House and the press thought it was Rome, I mean why hold Bill to the standards of being the Pope when he was only elected to be President. The current incumbent lies about Iraq and yet the press gives that a free pass. One is almost impeached, the other we look the other way, yet they both lied. One lied on a personal matter and the one that lied about a Presidential issue (going to war) is ignored. Go figure, I mean who would of on National TV said they were on the giving or receiving side of the issue, both were adults. Really not important for the business of the Nation. The most import issue to be covered now is if LBJ signed legislation that MLK inspired and their repectives roles or if that isn't important enough let's see Obama experimented with drugs when a teenager...oh that's right we all have done something we aren't proud about...does that exempt him from being able to become president or maybe its because he lived overseas for a while...Issue of character? Well its takes character to get where Obama is...not just reporting on hair styles! No wonder we have lost our standing in the world we don't discuss anything of value...
Here's an old saying I just made up:
"Just because it grows in your garden doesn't mean it's good to eat."
Which means that it's OK to NOT believe or even watch TV or read the mainstream press. You will not be more ignorant by ignoring the ignoramuses who pose as the fountains of truth. If it causes panic it's probably calculated to do so and making people aware of the goal (Panic so that you'll believe that buying soap will protect you) will short circuit the monkey-mind inside screaming for some sense of security..at any cost, which is usually way too much and just not necessary.
Erica Jong,
How awesome that our opinions tally, even though we are located on diferent parts of planet earth.
Here I am on Bonny Island in the Niger Delta and reading you online and your views on the melodramatic naivety of the American news media are not different from what I posted here on the Huffington Post after the hullabaloo caused by the deliberately erroneous and ambiguous "Obama Camp's Memo on Clintons' Politicizing Race" posted on http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/01/12/obama-camps-memo-on-clin_n_81205.html.
The mainstream media has gone downstream.
Blame the devaluation of the American news currency on the bloggers herd mentality in the newsroom.
The bulls are breaking things in the China shop.
Wow! I had said that I hope we connected better in the future and we did. Erica, you nailed it.
Democrats are so fascinated with image that they've given themselves over to nominating the most charismatic candidate without thinking anything through to the end. Maybe they deserve what they get. However, you and I don't deserve this. The Dems need to recognize how they are mislead by glamor, Hollywood, and image. While Republicans use fear and hopelessness, Democrats use glamor and charisma. Glamor is a tool that corporate bad guys use to gain power and abuse the planet. We need at least one party that is lead by their noggins.
I agree with your sentiments and thank you, but I am more than a bit tired of it always being all my fault. When does it get to be bush or cheney's fault? Why can't I blame robert novak and bill kristol? Most of the American people are deserving, ready, and willing to have good government; it's those "conservative" values that keep getting in the way.
Exactly!!!! The press, media...if you care to call them that, believe that they are the kingmakers. Most of the talking heads do not have journalism degrees and could no more tell you how to write a story,than they could tell you what the 5 W's and 1 H is!!!
The media is to be blunt crap. What is worse is that most listen to or read the crap as the gospel truth. The media overall is a branch of entertainment akin to Hollywood. You go girl!!
I don't think I could agree more with this. I used to want to be a journalist "when I grew up." But now the media just really embarrasses me. I gradually got more and more disgusted with it and finally just gave up a few months ago when I just couldn't take another Brittney Spears disaster story. So now I look to sources like Huffington Post and NPR for my news.
The thing is, for someone who really does want to be informed, I find it very difficult to filter through the fluff (like who a given politician may or may not have slept with, what they are wearing, etc.) and just get the facts. It's hard to know how much we really do know these people that we're voting for. So do we vote our conscious? Or do we stick strictly to the issues and just have the faith that they'll follow through?
Thank you for this. This is EXACTLY how I think of the electorate here. I have had the opportunity to vote in two countries and there were urgent political consequences in both.I wish people would look around the world to see how they vote. As much as one loves looking at TV portrayals of their leaders its more important that they be of substance and intelligence rather than silly nonsense that are unimportant.
This whole business about "race" right now is totally out of proportion. The press is the same as the Military industrial complex. One needs wars to justify its existence and growth , the other needs sleaze to increase ratings so they can survive and flourish.This is also because of a strange lack of political dialog in this country. No one is ready to simply discuss politics. They would wait for a caucus to do so in some places but in general there is no opinion driven healthy discussions among people.
I am glad blogs have come up which gives everyone an anonymous chance to air their views... T
Erica Jong writes a commentary that should be on page 1 of the Americn press. It will never happen because the media and the politicians are in bed with each other and when two are in bed, that is the last place they want to create friction. The mainstream politicos look for free publicity in addition to editorial support from what should be an adversarial relationship while the media reaps millions in paid advertising from politicians and their fat cat constituants. A truly synergistic relationship that all those involved are happy with.
Martin Silver
Long Beach, NY
Great article, Ms. Jong. I agree that the MSM gives us adolescent high school popularity contests instead of substantive news. There are other options than MSNBC, Fox, and CNN for our current events though. If we want to see news with substance, then we need to start viewing FSTV's Amy Goodman on Democracy Now! Or how about Bill Moyers' Journal on PBS? There is also C-Span. Any of these fine news organizations give us substantive accounts of campaigns, and not only that, give us real international news to boot! They are definitely worth everyone's perusal. The real news is out there, you just have to know where to go to get it.
" Now Hillary's being slimed for being a woman,"
She's not being slimed for being a woman, she being criticized because she's a fraud and will do anything to get a vote. She's gone too far with playing the race card. She is a dangerous person with Nixon like qualities for example an enemies list, a foul mouth and , her dirty tricks. Send her packing to the MOON.
All I know is that people want some one who can inspire them to do and be better and they want someone who can bring some unity to Congress so legislation can finally get PASSED and we can get this country moving in the right direction again. That is why I am for Obama. And I truly beleive that is what he can do Unite the Country from this false sepration and hatred we have allowed to fester too long in America.
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