Our sources of important news events and political information are suspect. Some trust Fox News completely, and others trust MSNBC, while others go with CNN. Many believe they can listen to all sources and average the truth in the claims. Since single sourcing your news supply is self-limiting, because you have to live in a small box, an alternative is “the truth lies in the middle” approach. I decided to test this concept. I ask several three year old preschool children “what is 2 times 2”. The answers were 3, 5, 22, a “set of shoes”, “blue birds”, and one precocious child replied “3 and a half” with excellent self confidence. Averaging these answers produced the wrong answer, so much for “the truth lies in the middle” theory. Next I asked a sixth grader who promptly answered four. I checked with several other students ranging across the sixth, seventh and eighth grades. A consistent answer was four, with other responses of “is there a prize?”, “are you a child molester?”, and “why don’t you know?” I deemed these youngsters as showing great promise.
Examining data gathered in my
carefully designed experiment some conclusions can be drawn. First, the correct
answer is best provided by someone who has studied the subject, generally
called an “expert”, and second, the expert should not have an agenda.
Employing these uncomplicated
guidelines, I find few experts expounding among the many available venues of
cable news shows. Some networks contained no experts by this measure. The
definition of “expert” instead morphed into someone that displays zeal for the
subject combined with the occasional polysyllabic word, bonus points awarded for
consistency with the network’s agenda. The polysyllabic words denote great intelligence,
and a loud voice denotes absolute correctness of the position. The network’s
stated agenda will concur with a demographic segment which in turn ensures a
profitable audience.
I and my fellow “low information
voters” are universally aware of this flaw. But then, we are not the target
audience, indeed, we are the vilified target of the target audience. One network’s
carefully identified target audience requires enemies to maintain a social
cohesion and a supportable self identification.
I don’t fall into the 20% that
follow Sean Hannity, I don’t fall into the 20% that follow Rachel Maddow, and I
don’t fall into the 50% that will follow both then average the difference, I
fall into the 10% that follow the Animal Planet. I will visit the Science Channel,
the History Channel, or the Weather Channel, with current events available from
the Comedy Chanel. Major world events leak into my consciousness through Face
Book or Twitter. As a true “low information voter” I am well informed, for
example, I know that a woman can become pregnant during rape (The Science Channel),
I know that the Great Depression ended with World War 2 (The History Chanel), I
know that all politicians act political (The Comedy Chanel), I know that an
American symbol, the Bald Eagle, is no longer an endangered species (The Animal
Planet), and I know that Dyson makes the best vacuum cleaner (Midnight
Infomercial).
As the prototypical “low
information voter” I am not constantly stressed by some artificially manufactured
scandal de jour, I am not sick and tired of being sick and tired, I am not
frightful about some highly improbable, likely nonexistent threat, and I don’t hate 47% of my fellow
Americans. I am quite content to lie in a hammock and read a book. All are
welcome to this calm, low cost existence, feel free to join me. Turn off the
news cable show, there is far superior entertainment available.
1 comment:
The "far superior entertainment"
is on HGTV.
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