No links, no sources, no quotes.
This diary is a bit different because everything you need to understand it is a little bit of creativity and a rudimentary familiarity with media election coverage.
Imagine how you'd apply for a job, then imagine how the media would skewer you if you ran for President. How different would the conversations be?
In my case, I'm a bit young yet (31) but I've never quit a job in less than three years. I can provide references from every job because I've been highly regarded by co-workers every place I've been. I've saved companies millions by catching production issues early -- the ability to head off problems before the occur is an essential leadership skill, no?
Now, if I was running for President, just how much of this would be discussed in the court of public opinion? Thought so.
Yeah, I think they'd rather dwell on the fact that I'm half Japanese ("Will Mr. Dragonchild sell out Big 3 to Japs?") Or that I own a copy of Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas ("Does he condone violence against women?") Or that I play D&D like other Satanic heathen such as Stephen Colbert ("Does Mr. Dragonchild worship the Devil?") Or god forbid, that I translate for Japanese guests at (gasp) anime conventions -- I'll let your media imagination run wild with that one. Maybe throw some shocking images of furries on the screen or something.
Of course, juicy personal details aside, I'm not saying anything we all don't already know. We all know the media is a pack of trivial gossip whores, but I'm challenging voters to apply this awareness, yank it out of the subconscious and put it in perspective. Next time you're discussing politics with someone outside the DailyKos choir, have them try to skewer themselves media-style. If all goes well, the eye-opening experience will turn their BS detectors on.
How would the media skewer you, and just how ridiculous would it be?
P.S. There's a bit of an action item here, actually. I'm hoping I can start a, "How would the media skewer you?" movement that puts the absurdity of the theater in perspective at the grassroots level. It's a very simple message to communicate, really.