One of the most striking things about today’s society is that the central space is gone. The polarizing forces in almost every issue have managed to pull and tug at the body politic to the point where all that remains is edge, the center having been torn to shreds. Extremism is the modus operandi of the day. Everyday.
The louder and more red-faced the person is, the more likely they will end up on a T.V. screen near you. The entertainment/information complex (I refuse to call it “the news media” as they are more concerned with the entertainment value than the information conveyed) has reduced the content of news broadcasts to 15 second outbursts devoid of any real meaning. This means that the person most capable of overstating their position within the confines of a sound bite is most likely to get exposure.
I also blame the public at large, we have grown so lazy that we have contented ourselves with this state of affairs. Needless to say this situation does not lead to a reasoned statement of position and careful explanation of one’s thoughts, much less an examination of the opposing side with a respectful refutation of the facts they present. Nope, red-faced table-pounders like Keith Olbermann get air time while reasonable people get pushed from the stage entirely.
The sheeple have only the maniacs as a point of reference, one set of loonies on one side of the issue, and the opposing set of nutters far away on the other side; both saying the most outrageous things about the other. This is what has become of the public forum, the marketplace of ideas has been burned to the ground and the arsonists on both sides stand cheering. Even a statement of indisputable fact gives rise to outbursts of spittle faced screaming. This is no way to conduct an exchange of ideas or information; it certainly is not any sort of way to run a government that is fast running out financial and political credit.
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