Maybe Should Off the TV As Well
link AFP: Obama bemoans ‘diversions’ of IPod, Xbox era.
You have to read this article carefully to make sure that it’s an accurate reporting of events. It appears to be genuine and therefore alarming. Did he really say that “information had become a diversion that was imposing new strains on democracy”? In the same breath, he says that education is the key to progress. I have written before about how the President’s actions have often been in direct contrast to his actions. This is the first time he has contradicted himself in the same sentence.
It becomes clearer what the reference is when he states:
“…some of the craziest claims can quickly claim traction,” in the clamor of certain blogs and talk radio outlets….All of this is not only putting new pressures on you, it is putting new pressures on our country and on our democracy….”
Now this becomes clearer; what he is really doing is throwing an oblique dig at certain right of center media outlets, led no doubt by Fox Cable, a notorious critic of the administration’s policies. Strangely, all of the mainstream media outlets have given favorable spin to the President’s policies; Fox is the only balancing voice to those views. Somehow, this qualifies a mention in a commencement speech. Truly ironic in a place of learning since in the latter part of the same speech, the Pres includes this obligatory message invoking Thomas Jefferson:
“…What Jefferson recognized… that in the long run, their improbable experiment — called America — wouldn’t work if its citizens were uninformed, if its citizens were apathetic, if its citizens checked out, and left democracy to those who didn’t have the best interests of all the people at heart….It could only work if each of us stayed informed and engaged, if we held our government accountable, if we fulfilled the obligations of citizenship…”
So a confusing message is being sent. If he doesn’t care for the role that technological devices are playing in society, he is the First Luddite. That doesn’t speak well of the thousands of high tech jobs created by likes of Apple, Amazon, Sony etc, companies and industries that have led the U.S. over the past decade. Like it or not, society needs more engineers and technologically savvy grads to propel America forward. Lawyers seem to be in surplus at the moment. If he doesn’t care for the few dissenters with his policies, perhaps an official White House news service will be implemented, although that would be redundant in the presence of NBC, CBS, ABC and PBS.
Lastly, there is the discussion of learning being the equivalent of emancipation. Again a function of pandering to your audience, but emancipation is no longer an issue, hasn’t been one since, well, 1863. This may explain the skepticism of modern technology. It looks like someone’s looking to the past instead of the future. Or maybe it’s just the politican/lawyer showing, covering both sides of an discussion without saying anything. Bottom line, I think the man is confused. Information, regardless of how it’s transmitted is everything. Like the old saying, the truth shall set you free.