The outrage cycle -by Tom Tomorrow

[kpete]

?1704719579

[TwilightZone]

1. It's not just the media.

We repeat and amplify this kind of stuff all the time. Not everything is equally deserving of outrage or attention.

[Voltaire2]

3. Absolutely. We routinely fall in line.

It is no longer amazing at all to observe how simple it is to pull our strings.

[FHRRK]

6. Current case in point, the Austin "controversy"

We have Repukes running around calling domestic terrorists “hostages,” yet the media is focused on should Austin resign.

FFS!

[Voltaire2]

7. Yup. It has become boring.

[Fiendish Thingy]

2. For those unaware, that is Christopher Rufo

The one who announced he would manufacture, then manufactured, the plagiarism “scandal” against the president of Harvard, as a means to eliminating DEI policies in higher education.

[keep_left]

5. Rufo was also responsible for the earlier manufactured scandal, "wokeness"...

...and "Critical Race Theory" being taught to grade-school children, a completely fraudulent notion. And as seen in the cartoon (art imitates life), Rufo's garbage was spread through the news media largely uncritically.

[shrike3]

10. I used to work in media.

Anyone who thinks the media might actually do what's right for the country should give up that idea. It's going to have to be us if it's anyone at all.

[keep_left]

11. Well, there *are* some terrific people in media, e.g. Amy Goodman, though...

...the ever-increasing size of the corporate ownership of media companies is problematic, of course. And even Amy Goodman had her struggles with an entirely non-profit structure (Pacifica Foundation), which at certain points in its history was infiltrated by spooks (and the spook-adjacent).

Years ago, I heard a talk given by Robert McChesney, a professor and media critic from UIUC, in which he discussed post-WWII history. After the Allied victory, one of the very first tasks was to break up the media monopolies of the Axis powers; the Allies' reasoning was that media concentration directly aids and abets fascism. McChesney further argued that we need a taste of our own medicine. And indeed, you can easily see how fascism is aided and abetted; simply observe all the screen time given to Trump, MTG, Boebert, etc. The more outrageous they become, the more screen time they get. It serves to normalize truly crazy ideas.

[shrike3]

12. Oh, there are certainly lovely individuals in media.

Like there are lovely individuals in any industry.

But as a group -- uh-uh.

[LetMyPeopleVote]

4. Great cartoon

[Botany]

8. The President Gay, Sec. Austin, and Al Franken scandal all were made up crap

This cartoon is spot on.

[Wild blueberry]

9. Brilliant toon

Accurate. Welker on MTP with Stefonik just yesterday. Grrrr. Journalists, do your job!