|
As the United States continues--indeed, accelerates--its seemingly inexorable slide towards Fascism, a few words about the ladies and gentlemen of our Corporate Media seem in order. They would probably be indignant if you described them as Fascist Fellow Travellers--even, possibly, if you called them Republican Toadies. In fact, what they are is a useless, parasitic courtier class. Their best analogues would be the Breshnev-era Nomenklatura, or possibly the courtiers at Louis XIV's court. Their whole existence seems to revolve around being seen, being pampered, being flattered by fellow parasites exactly like themselves. They are incapable--not merely of objecticity, but even of original thought or perhaps any thought at all. Watching these people on TV--and that's where the worst of them infest themselves--one has the feeling that one has woken up in a lunatic asylum. These people contribute exactly zero to our national dialog and the well-being of the Republic. Indeed, I'd say their "contribution" is negative, since every word they speak, every breath they take, reduces the sum of human knowledge and intelligence--both. The only reason our "democracy" even seems to exist is because of inertia and the brave fearless work of a small group of people, in the media and in the streets of the country, who still believe in the possibilities of our country. But if the Fascists ever manage to crush these patriots and throw away the fig leaf, the Corporate Media Whores will cheerfully go along, gushing on our TV screens over our big, brave leaders keeping us safe from "terror" in 2010, 2020, 2030 etc...with occasional frowns directed at the "dissidents" who won't acknowledge "reality"...(I suspect a token Democratic Party might be permitted to exist, as long as it's made clear to them they couldn't rock the boat in any way, or have the temerity to ask for real elections.) What could be done? If, God be praised, the Left ever really came to power in this country and meant business, I have a couple of suggestions. One--relatively simple--would be to simply introduce a bill saying that only American citizens can own US media companies, and then immediately strip Rupert Murdoch of his "citizenship"--realizing, of course, that his citizenship was never anything more than a front for making money, and had nothing to do with any real concern or respect for the United States of America. Two--antitrust the shit out of the Corporate Media. I mean as in a Carthaginian Solution to the fuckers. Squash them flat. And three--impose a Talking Head Tax, just for the Courtier Class--all income over $100,000 shall be taxed out of existence. But only for Sam, and Cokie, and Ted, and Sean, and Bow-tie Boy, and the Pig Boy Limbaugh, and Nora and Katie and goodness gracious knows who else--*all* of them. Let them live in the world of the working-class for awhile--maybe just for five years, long enough for it to hurt. Then maybe they'd know just whose side they should really be on, and remember that their job is to comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable, and not to be courtiers... I'm not holding my breath. But anything is possible in politics. Maybe we'll all live to see the day...
|