One of the biggest cultural issues we have is that no major media or journalistic institutions have been reinforcing norms of what things *should* look like. That corruption isn’t normal, that cronyism isn’t normal, that lies and scandals should be punished, that incompetence is disqualifying.
They’ve simply stopped pointing out that there are any standards at are, or that there used to be a bar of any sort. And now an entire generation doesn’t know this concept at all.
@anildash The "norms" are very different depending on one's race, class, money, and power.
It does not feel like a change at all to this old American.
I'd agree with the point about an entire generation not knowing. I came of age, politically, around the time of the Iraq War and the Enron collapse. I left university around the time when the 2007 mortgage crash became the 2008 great recession. I can't remember a time when power has been anything but venal, corrupt and dishonest.
People older than me: were things less corrupt before then, or did the papers just not report on them?
@passenger @anildash
There has always been corruption, but I noticed a significant increase in business corruption in the 1980s. I suspect that government corruption also increased then (the Reagan years), but it was less obvious to me.
The 80s were the "me first" years for many people.
@anildash A wise history teaching goat once asked "Can't you see what we've lost?"
To which my answer was "No. This is all I have ever known."
I dunno where you've been hiding. The shit that's going on is just not hidden any more. Big media has made a shit ton of money on fear, and business is booming as freaked out peoples eyes are glued on their commercials.
I detest Drump, he is a shit stain on humanities underwear. But he is loud and honest about his absolute corruption, and for that i am thankful. Blue and red have tried to hide it for far too long.
@anildash This.
Nothing about the current administration distresses me more than the way legacy media have become its willing lapdogs.
@anildash Is this a US limited commentary? Because if so, I would hope that we'd still have examples in other functioning governments to look to. If not, well...at least we're not alone in the shame of it.
I'd also argue that the US used to let journalists feel free to write their stories and funding was separated from journalistic input at least it was better...if not perfect.
Now, our government and Illegitimate Court no longer protect speech they dislike.
@anildash Yup, wasn’t there a prop on CNN that counted each of Trump’s lies via pingpong balls?
That’s like a bunch of mimes roasting clown shoes 🤡
s/at are/at all/
@anildash enfeebling opposition media lets them continue to be faux opposition media as long as they don't get into truth-telling again. media profits, administration can claim "the media still exists and occasionally says not nice things so this is still 'democracy'" and every rich person wins.
all the good ppl still fight, but we all shld be prepared for a 20-40 year slog at this point.
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