General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Party Loyalty [View all]Gregorian
(23,867 posts)The internet has a problem in that one must first have the notion of what to look for, and then to look for it. Of course they could just go to one of the big websites, and then look at the news, or discussion. Maybe I underestimate the intelligence and ability of typical Americans. But I don't think many people really share not only our enthusiasm, but our proactive mentality. My experience is that most people are not willing to take the effort to make their lives much more than a lower quality existence. And after a day at work, I can't blame them too much. We're not talking about Fox viewers, but those moderate to conservative Democrats. The man who mills up my lumber sits with his headphones on while listening to Democracy Now. I love it. But he's the exception. I know my thinking is outdated, but so are the habits of most people, who are not going to come home, go into a back room, or wherever, and flip on a computer and search for their news.
I think the old model of turning on Cronkite at five is still extremely important. We do have Maddow and others, but they are tempered by their sponsors. I also know that the others like The Young Turks, are not tempered. So now I sound like I'm talking in contradictions. So maybe I should back up and ask why the conservative Dems are conservative to the point where, for example, they voted for Reagan. After all, that was during a time when we still had news. My father voted for Reagan because he "sounded" so caring. I saw through it. I didn't vote for him. But my dad is not conservative. Did we really know who Reagan was? I wasn't paying attention when he was governor of California. I don't know if there were signs that he would turn the country into a shambles.
Also, I don't think people realize that we don't just vote at the ballot box: we vote with the actions we take on a daily basis. When you use fossil fuel, you are voting. At least we're setting the potential for what is to come. Watch the Wages of Fear if you want to see a fantastic foreign film that shows some of the early scenes behind the oil production. It's drama, but the sentiment is there. People are dispensable when it comes to our need for that energy supply. And it's the same today. We can talk about Bush all we want, but we are the ones doing the consuming. These are the things that could be discussed on a news channel. Not just who and what the politicians are. Our personal behavior has driven policy to a large extent. Did we ever need sugar? Not that much.
I've dreamed of the day when I saw things on tv that revolved around how we can change the quality of our country/world by altering our own behavior. I have always seen this as the heart of the difference between the liberal and conservative. And this is what I meant by Reagan seeming to care. He sounded like a careful man. In fact, when I mentioned how we can change our future through our personal actions, I literally mean by being more conservative, in the real sense. It's pretty well known that Americans are not known for their conservative behavior. And Reagan isn't the only one who has attracted liberals through what seemed like a good type of conservatism, or caring attitude. Nothing could have been further from the truth. When I see people voting against their best interest, I think of ways in which we can inform them as to who these people are. And that takes real journalistic effort. That takes snooping and traveling just like Palast does. And I think that in order to do that, it cannot be sustained under the context of a profitable business model. This is something that must come from desire for a better country. The internet seems perfect for this. And we've seen a number of sites flourish. So why are there still conservative Democrats? I believe we need to compete on the airwaves as well, if not primarily. After all, look at the power Fox wields. They know it works.
It's a beautiful Saturday morning. I've got to hike out to a part of my property to clean up the limbs I've cut on some trees. I hope this makes sense. I hope there's truth to it.