Comment thread from Newsweek article loving up on the tabloid culture.

http://www.newsweek.com/id/226457/output/comments/page/2

Posted By: Bettymouse @ 12/18/2009 10:29:15 AM
"In reference to the use of the word "craven" on the cover: to quote the great Inigo Montoya, "I do not think that means what you think it means." Craven=cowardly, which makes absolutely no sense in the headline, unless you have no idea what the word means. Ah, Newsweek. You used to be a decent magazine. Now you appear to be using spell check instead of actual editors."

Posted By: pwiener @ 12/16/2009 11:32:32 AM
"With all due respect to Neal Gabler as an historian of media, his latest foray into theorizing reminds me of the discussions I used to have in college when everyone got stoned. His assertions are ridiculously over-confident and over-rationalized. It's full of so many holes you ought to publish an issue just devoted to them.."

http://www.newsweek.com/id/226457
The Greatest Show on Earth: In defense of our...tabloid culture

(Who is Kate and John? Perhaps its better I am ignorant of this. Yeah, probably.)

I love this NWO era we live in where also outcome based education is pushing a weird communist thing where any child who is a champ and excels is told to slow down for the group level or to step aside for the slow kid. In the old days they just beat us down and got the same results (see the history of Boston public schools..better yet, ask yer grandparents- especially about perochial school and what a joy the nuns were.) But now that you cant get away with keeping the populus down old school style you have to come up with some other tactic...also that no one will notice is f*cked unless they are clever...thus worth keeping down even moreso.
But when it comes to the opinions of 'the people' no one really seems to listen or take heed. Its considered passe to be active in protesting something or expecting authority/power structures to listen anymore. Its considered wasted energy or something losers do- winners side with corruption as this is the source of true power. This is and maybe always has been the common attitude of people. Being a stupid person who is a trendy snob or super PC and uptight is considered the best thing for the nation right now. I kid you not. If you interfere with that cult, and thats what it is by its nature, you are interfering with making America the strongest country possible in the global economy or some other such fodder.

Its all about winning..well hasnt it always been? Yes but the greatest pain we feel nowdays is that the culture has been engineered, under the guise of the war on drugs, anti terror, PC and revitalization- so that there is really no place for the underdog culture or reactionary underground culture to exist. Add to this that someone came up with the very clever idea of taking the edginess of the underdog-rebel culture or person and making it appear as if the squares are now hip. Someone took the bondage gear, the leather jacket and the motorcycle and handed it over to your average conformist citizen. All they need do is buy the trappings and live the part or the fantasy. Then collectively the group has decided that they are indeed cool due to being patted on the head for doing all the right things to be so.

Its a brilliant move to make rebellion appear useless. When being average is so much fun or when being average can be edgy then there is no attraction in anything truly edgy. What used to define rebelliousness is now associated with dirt, filth, poverty, homelessness, losers, failure, stupidity, foolishness or a psychiatric disorder.

This takes full power away from sex, drugs, rock and roll, underground ANYTHING, rebellion in general and subversion in general. The attitude is 'what are you accomplishing by doing that? You would gain so much more if you did the 'right' things or joined the norm'. Its very important to make rebellion seem unattractive and to provide as much as possible within the 'norm' or the mainstream to ensure that people do not go to the fringes to seek out something that is missing in mainstream life. Of course this is all to cover up for corruption at various levels of society. Its to placate the people. The tabloid culture placates them also. The problem lately is that the media is not just providing smut in certain publications as before. Its the same idea I guess- to make the mainstream into a spying, dumb down gossip machine. To make it the norm or part of mainstream culture.

The tabloids are way to into spying, harassment and survaillence. THIS is the levels in which they have too much power. And in observing that one must ask to whom they benefit...and just who allows them to exist. Then one sees a larger agenda of social control.

How can it possibly be that this society keeps claiming via its actions it wants a more people based world, a new world order, where its not the law of the jungle but peace and in order to do that somehow we need to become one hive, one living cell. We need to become all the same, agree on everything and accept everyone etc...yet no one seems to listen to 'The People' on much of anything anymore. Its just the power of this cult and if you believe as they do you are doing right and in the right.

Its indeed a very scary time in the USA as well as around the world. These people actually believe that peace can be achieved through the enslavement of mankind. They, as human animals, are so in denial and so afraid to fight authority, so afraid to face the consequences of our environmental issues as well as the reality of life itself in these bodies and on this planet that they are so tired, so scared, so jaded and so frightened- as to give up what it means essentially to be human.

When all people want is 'peace' but they have stopped thinking, reasoning and they are doing so out of fear or exhaustion or jadedness then what they are really seeking is death.

I have a suggestion for you. YOU are welcome to drop dead while the rest of us experience everything in every history book ever written that makes living as a human being for 80 or so years what it has always been.
What also may be the case is that I might be experiencing typical human hatred of the traveler, the wanderer, the artist, the female, anyone from 'the street', etc. I just cannot believe that in a world that feels its so evolved and liberated post 60's as to want to create a NWO of 'peace', that society would still be suffering from these outdated, stupid and backwards views and opinions.

Hmmmmmmm.

So how can you have world peace if you still hate certain things and people? If you unjustly hate certain things and people. If you still ignore social ills and other issues. So...what you want is peace as in death not peace like as in peace, love and joy. You want compliance to authority. You want a good front. You want the 50's but without any jazz clubs to run to or other underground scenes.

What you want is sterilzation. What you want is a mind controlled society, a huge massive cult. And fear, indimidation and lack of privacy is just a few of the ways of getting it. And if the public is dumbed down yet self satisfied, who will know what they are missing?

Happy slaves are obedient slaves.