Personal Observations Of Our Society - Where Are Our Priorities?

Political Realities ^ | 08/18/12 | LD Jackson

[LD Jackson]

I doubt if I am the only person around who notices these things, but I have observed some things that make me wonder about our society. These things make me question if we will be able to see any meaningful change to the place America finds herself in. Is it just me or are our priorities completely messed up? They make me question if Americans really want a change, or to continue on the same path we are on.

Take a few moments and visit some of the major news organization websites. Most of them have tabs labeled Opinion, US, Politics, World, etc. Some of them have a tab labeled Campaign 2012, in honor of the extravaganza we call our Presidential election. If you click on one of the stories at any given website, you are likely to find a group of stories at the bottom or side of the article you want to read. One would think these would be related stories, but many times, they are not. I can't say most of them, but many, have to do with celebrities and their lives. If you pay close attention, you may be able to read about Kristen Stewart and her boyfriend, whomever that happens to be for the moment. You can also find out which Hollywood stars got their "start" by working at Hooters These are just a few of the stories I came across, without even looking. Some of the more important ones include vital information, such as the photo of Paul Ryan, without his shirt on.

There is also an ongoing spat about President Obama and his lack of love for the national media. It's not something I can really understand, given how they usually fawn all over him, but that would be the subject of another post. So, instead of him answering questions from the reporters who are stationed at the White House, he is giving most of his interviews to local media outlets. Instead of answering questions about his economic policies and spending practices, he has the chance to let us know what color of chili peppers he prefers. Instead of explaining how Obamacare is gutting Medicare, he tells us what his favorite superpower would be.

Have you heard the Obama campaign's reasoning behind giving interviews to local media and entertainment media outlets? It's actually quite interesting.

(Politico) Forget Chris Matthews — he’ll take Nancy O’Dell.

President Barack Obama has been taking a lot of questions in the two months since his last press conference or national news interview. He’s just been doing them with ESPN, Entertainment Tonight, People Magazine and FM radio stations around the country, mostly to talk local sports and regional cuisine.

This isn’t a mistake. Even at the height of a campaign in which they’ve been firing hard at Mitt Romney and trying to keep hold of the news cycle, Obama’s reelection staffers are pretty sure most voters aren’t tuning in.

“People get their news in many different ways,” Obama campaign spokeswoman Jen Psaki told POLITICO. “Sometimes it’s turning on ‘Entertainment Tonight’ and seeing what the latest news is out there.”

Psaki said the president will be doing a variety of media appearances in the coming weeks with both national and local outlets, but for now, “We’re reaching an audience that may not be paying attention to the day-to-day political back and forth.”

The Obama campaign is playing a strategy by not interacting with the national media. They are counting on the theory that many Americans are not paying attention to the condition of the nation. In a time when many of us are focused on the upcoming NFL season, or the amount of skin shown by a particular Hollywood star, they could very well be right.

It troubles me that so many of us are not even paying attention to what is going on around us. We are more concerned with entertainment, sports, and other items that can not change our society for the better. There is nothing wrong with entertainment, but where is the good in it when it completely blinds us to the condition of our society? Not everyone can be a politics buff like myself, nor should they be. But, one would think more people could at least pay enough attention to understand the shape America is in. At the risk of sounding like an old fuddy duddy (yes, that is a real phrase), I can't help but wonder if our shift in priorities is a foretelling of things to come.

[knarf]

At least you posted your entire thought without a hyperlink to a blog.

Thanx

[snoopy 'n linus]

You are correct in assessing how the average American get their news. Like Rome 1700 years ago, entertainment keeps folks distracted from what is actually occurring as the world crumbles about them.

Add to this many are working two jobs (if not receiving government handouts) plus are busy hauling the kids off to various events, it’s no wonder they are tired and get their news only from the local paper and catching 20 minutes (without the advertisements) of “news”