I have seen so many people repeat the first part of my title. I feel that way myself. What started as an interesting, invigorating task, that allowed me to feel as if I still have a voice in the democratic process of my nation has become nauseating, tiring, and flat out embarrassing.
So I decided to explore why I felt that difference — that shift between invigoration and embarrassment and exhaustion.
Yes, our election season is long, and that is a factor, but I lean more toward the media’s breathless coverage of minor things, and the breadth of information controlled by a few, powerful bodies. At this point in my life, I don’t have cable television, so I’ve been sort of blissfully ignorant of all the coverage, but I can’t hide from it for long. Facebook, Twitter, my phone, all constantly chirping the latest conspiracy that one side or another is propagating. “Potential illness!” “Misogyny!” “Foundation Corruption!” Every single rumor hits the media with the ferocity of a Cat 5 hurricane.
They scream and rail, and post things they haven’t checked out. They are the kings of the ‘hair-on-fire’ crowd, the ones who fan the flames.
To what end does this purpose serve? This gossipy, juicy, Kardashian soaked, info-tainment? It serves the purposes of the masters. And only those of the masters.
I wasn’t politically involved during Watergate, but coming from a media loving family, I knew about it, and about the journalists involved in bringing the whole monster down. They were doing their jobs.
They were investigating wrong doing. They reported what they found, without dozens of retweets, or hundreds of likes. That journalism is so rare now, and it disgusts me to watch pretty pretty David Muir, or underrated Lester Holt, or ‘just-go-away-already’ Matt Lauer, sit and stare, like a cow at a passing train, when a candidate or rep blatantly lies, repeats the lies, doubles down.
Journalists were always respected, if feared, when I was growing up and into adulthood. They were fearless about getting to the truth, and feared for their tenacity and commitment.
But they seem to be a dying breed. There are some, whose reporting I still strongly respect and appreciate. Matt Taibbi immediately jumps to mind. I suspect that there are more Taibbis in the world, but so much of what is going on around us is cast off, in favor of more navel-gazing.
Perhaps instead of worrying about our gut level feelings about a candidate, we should rather concentrate our gaze on what is not being shown to us.
What are we missing, while we’re constantly worn out from ‘election noise?’
Where is the calm, fact filled reporting of my youth?
I’m tired of it too, but I don’t want it to end, I want it to change. I want journalists who aren’t afraid to piss off the powers that be. Who are independent, fearless, tenacious. I want the money out of government, but I also want it out of media. What does it say about the big networks when Comedy Central becomes a beacon of rational reporting? It says we’re in deep now, and its time to look up from our unhealthy obsession with our own navels. It also says this world needs more Taibbis.