Support the Blog — Buy This Book!
For Kindle and with free ePub version. Only $9.49 Great reading.
Here is what Gary Shapiro CEO of the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) said: Dvorak's writing sings with insight and clarity. Whether or not you agree with John's views, he will get you thinking and is never boring. These essays are worth the read!
Put this ad on your blog!
Syndicate
Subscribe to Main Blog feed here:
Subscribe to Comments too (below):
Junk Email Filter
Hey whatever your political leanings, even you far right leaning people have to admit that Glen Beck is bat sh*t crazy. Come on!!! Really?!?! You really think he cares so much that he’s gonna cry. Those tears seemed genuine?
Wow!
See I disagree with BillO, but man he is smart, and not crazy.
If this video means anything, it’s that Glen Beck has come of age. You know you’ve made it when people talk like Booker did about you.
I thought the video was entertaining, which is exactly what it was supposed to be.
Not terribly informative. Taking quotes out of context does not inform, but misinforms.
After all, the guy works for the Guardian. It’s like asking MSNBC to do an expose’ on FOX NEWS. You know what you’re gonna get.
But it was still funny, so I say..
MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!
#30 what on earth made you think that the Murdoch media in the UK is neo liberal? They are consistently more right wing than our Conservative party. They regularly call for more government restrictions on foreigners, they hate the EU and want less money for the BBC.
In fact, much of it fits in very nicely with what Adam & John say. That doesn’t exactly make it any sort of liberal – unless you are looking at it from 5+ time zones west.
Glenn Beck being the new kid on the block at Fox has to find his own on-air persona. At present it’s kind of a mash-up of Bill O’Reilly and Tammy Fae Baker with a dash of Howard Beale for seasoning. If it really bothers you, don’t watch. I think he’s a proper balance to Oberman.
So sit back, place you bet as to who will ‘lose it’ on air first. These programs have elements of news commentary and entertainment It’s all about the ratings after all. Something the BBC may not grasp the finer points of.
Relax. Bitter, twisted Brits are the least of your critics. Laugh at them, they’re circus fart clowns who want to be taken seriously.
#36 I might be wrong. I had merely gotten the impression that the Blair was a favorite of Sky, and got a lot of ra-rah promotion from them. And who else is the epitome of neo-liberalism than Tony Blair, the flexi-religious, Fabian, golden boy of the rise of the nanny state? Was that man ever anything even like the liberal ideal that Labor once represented?
“They are consistently more right wing than our Conservative party. They regularly call for more government restrictions on foreigners, they hate the EU and want less money for the BBC.”
Let me posit that this neo-political movement more or less represents American and British banking and corporate interests, and thus the EU would be seen as a threat to the Old London money and power. Now, I’m sure sky would be just spiffy keen about the EU if the currency was the pound and the capitol was in Manchester, but Brussels? And currencies issued by just anyone? Much harder to game, old boy. Can’t have that. It also explains the restrictions on foreigners (a common theme in the American branches) which should be constantly reminded that they are mere subjects of the empire, not citizens.
And the BBC? Who wouldn’t want less money for a lavishly funded competitor? Really.
But empire is what this all boils down to, I think. These people have this religious belief in growth and expansion, placed at a high preference over the actual prosperity of the people, that in the end in a limited world can only rely upon oppressing other people and taking their stuff. Except now we’re not facing tribesmen with spears, but insurgents with automatic weapons and EFP’s. 19th century thinking should have stayed there, but that we are still led by it well into the 21st century is a crying shame.
Very true, American news media more about taking sides then reporting news. I gues it’s too boring unless the news people are giving their own opinions. I thought that was for the one segment called “point of view” now the whole news is that!
Welcome to the world of infotainment! 🙂
#40 jescott418
Very true.
May I expand on your thought, jescott418a little further.
Given that most Americans now get their “real” news from the AP and Reuters, what’s left but opinion?
So, most “news” channels have now virtually eliminated independent reporting in favor of commentary disguised as news.
Thus the destruction of what we grew up knowing as journalism.
Love all these “the Brits” comments. They make as much sense as comments about “the Americans”. The UK might be a small country geographically, but it includes a wide diversity of opinions and attitudes.
I haven’t watched Charlie Brooker’s show, more of a Marcus Brigstocke fan – look him up for a different view of UK life.
How one guy at BBC takes an ironic look at FOX.. at its extreme, and nothing more. Stupid to claim that this is a look at US media in general…
Right title: “How one guy at BBC takes an ironic look at FOX.. at its extreme”. Stupid to claim that this is how Brits look at US media in general…
Here’s all you need to know about British news:
BBC1,
BBC2
ITN
Channel 4
Yep, that’s it. What the british receive on TV is all of 4 chanels, all just slightly left of Sweden. You get the party line 24 X 7. No wonder he doesn’t get american TV. There are actual choices that aren’t proscribed by the government.
And you better like documentaries, because that’s all you get for your annual TV tax.
Sad, sad little country, slightly smaller than Texas
“slightly smaller than Texas”
according to Wikipedia Texas is nearly twice as large as the UK in terms of area. New Mexico is about the same size as the UK (but a very different shape, of course) It’s population is about equal to California and Texas combined.
Now now, cant we all just agree : My country[Insert correct country] is great, yours[Insert foreign country] is shit.
Now now, can’t we all just agree :
My country[Insert correct country] is great, yours[Insert foreign country] is shit.
# 26 Twirrim said, in part:
“Oh Goody, more anti-brit crap from Dvorak.org”
What gives you the idea the post is anti-Brit? I found it both enlightening and entertaining. I was impressed at the sharp insights from someone who surely didn’t have all that much time to watch all these people, shows and channels from another country. I mean, are Fox News Channel and MSNBC even available in the UK? If so, it is perhaps slightly less impressive, but still “spot on.”
– – – – –
# 39 Li said, in part:
“19th century thinking should have stayed there, but that we are still led by it well into the 21st century is a crying shame.”
Well said. (I’m afraid it’s in our genes…)
I’d rather “no agenda” as my take on the US and UK news. At least they don’t hide the fact that they are taking the piss.
IN THE MORNING
What is it with some of you guys? Why on earth take everything so seriously and start on a ‘Britain is ****’ style Rant? Are you really that sensitive about news coverage? Oh, and who is that country singer with the patriotic ‘Would have been speaking German/ flying Japanese flags’ song? He’s awesome. Is he the guy who is mimicked in the South Park ‘ladder to heaven’ episode? Oh and I couldn’t agree more about the stupidity of lawn bowling after 10 pm. Infuriates me having to stay up so late or waste good PVR space whenever there’s a senior tournament on.
I think the basic problem with Western Media is that it operates on two entirely different presumptions. The viewer thinks that the responsibility of media is to make a complex world understandable. Media’s understanding of their objective is to keep your butt in a seat while they play 2 min of commercials for you between stories to make some money.
If you watch mass media I guarantee you will not understand the world. You will know a lot of insignificant things (like what the Queen got for a gift, or what Anna Nicole Smith died of) but an understanding of the world will not be a result of your time invested. There simply isn’t enough time to go through the information completely and still sell advertising/have any sort of an audience (in essence the same thing).
If you really research any story, and get to know it intimately (which in and of itself is time consuming and difficult), you will see that most of the time the story has been “sexed up” to sell. But nobody can take the time to understand the story so it doesn’t matter what context stuff is reported on.
For example with all the hours of coverage of the financial meltdown, if you were to ask a “well informed” viewer what the root cause of the problem is you would get something like “Greedy bankers.” or “Lack of regulation”, when the reality is those bankers lost their companies, and most of their retirement was attached to a stock that went to zero, and regulation has only ever been imposed on banks in order for them to take bigger risk, not to make sure they make a profit and stay solvent. Neither of those answers is very compelling. The answer lies in a balance of trade inequality between export countries and import countries, coupled with a financial system that did not have the tools to handle the degree of imbalance. Bernanke talked about this in one sentence in a 60min interview but the reporter wasn’t the least bit interested. He wanted to talk about how it happened only to know who to blame (because telling someone that they are going to die and it’s xyz’s fault sells). Sadly there is no good media, I suggest you watch the gossip stuff on Hollywood, because media does it really well, and you know what you are getting.