The "story of a non-story" issue

POSTED BY: Niki2
UPDATED: Wednesday, June 15, 2011 01:31
VIEWED: 6454
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GEEZER

Saturday, June 11, 2011 11:59 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by Niki2:
Your cartoon totally fails, for me. The REASON right-wingers are called hypocrites is their CLAIM TO BETTER VALUES. Thus THEY set higher standards for themselves, nobody else does.

At least in the current Congress, the Republican leadership is taking a harder stance. One of the panelists on the "Diane Rhem Show" (I believe) noted that when the Lee scandal surfaced, Speaker Boehmer immediately told him to resign, and he did. This could just be lessons learned from previous scandals when the Party tried to either cover up or rehabilitate the malefactor, and ended up losing votes. The Democratic leadership, on the other hand, has left both Weiner and Charlie Rangel in office after their transgressions.

"Keep the Shiny side up"

AURAPTOR

Saturday, June 11, 2011 12:01 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by Niki2:

That about makes my point. Scandals abound when it comes to people in the news, then the media makes a big deal out of it and covers it for days (weeks?) in great detail, with their audience drooling at each new development, it becoming the major topic at the water cooler, and pundits debating it like it was a serious piece of news. THAT’s what makes the media, and all who pay attention to such things, the real “wieners”, in my opinion.

Kinda like when Sarah Palin accurately describes a bit of history, though not to the tune we're accustomed to hearing, the media jumps all over that 'non story' , and makes it out to be something completely different?

And that's not even a scandal, say , like saying there are 57 states, might be.

Yeah, real funny what the media decides is "news" and what isn't, huh?

" I do not love the bright sword for its sharpness, nor the arrow for its swiftness, nor the warrior for his glory. I love only that which they defend. "

DREAMTROVE

Saturday, June 11, 2011 12:39 PM

We should elect a different media by exercising our "what we choose to read" right.

Too many people I know get their news frfommm CNN for no other reason then they have a mental connection of "news" to CNN. it's like I'll "google" the topic, and then get a book off "amazon" and then maybe i'll "ebay" this old junk. Product name recognition can be a powerful thing.

I guess the short of this is: Don't blame the bear for being a bear.

That's what a ship is, you know - it's not just a keel and a hull and a deck and sails, that's what a ship needs.

SIGNYM

Saturday, June 11, 2011 2:30 PM

Quote:
At least in the current Congress, the Republican leadership is taking a harder stance.

Errr... (blush)... well, you could have chosen better wording. But I take your point.

Still, I have to ask.... higher standards on what??. The world is collapsing ecologically. In 10-15 years, this obsession will be seen as straddling the border between trivial and evil. More on the evil side. We should be planning 200 years into the future, not focused on somebody's weener... Republican OR Democrat.

BNW

Saturday, June 11, 2011 2:45 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by AURaptor:
Kinda like when Sarah Palin accurately describes a bit of history, though not to the tune we're accustomed to hearing, the media jumps all over that 'non story' , and makes it out to be something completely different?

HKCAVALIER

Saturday, June 11, 2011 5:32 PM

The OP's argument reminds me of the way the Church deals with pedophile priests: all sex is sinful and therefore an affront to God Almighty, so there really isn't a whole lot of difference between a fellow having "lustful" thoughts as he strolls down the street and a priest raping 35 children.

Sorry, but there is a difference. And a lot of the people whose sex scandals we aren't hearing about, simply don't have anything going on that would scandalize much of anyone.

It galls me when Weiner and the like talk about an "error in judgement." Posting your junk on the internet is not an error in judgement, it's an error in intention! You start wanting to post your junk on the internet SEEK FUCKING HELP. "Gee, I'd like to have sex with that person" is a categorically different thought from "Gee, I'd like to rape that person."

This crazy acting out we're seeing again and again is not about sex. Anthony Weiner does not necessarily have a stronger sex drive than anyone else. Just look at the examples sited as, I dunno, justification? for Weiner's behavior:

• Straight men enjoy a wider variety of erotica than imagined, including sites devoted to elderly women and transsexuals...and therefore I'm gonna post pictures of my penis to strange women online? No.

• Straight men prefer heavy women to thin ones...and therefore I'm gonna post pictures of my penis to strange women online? No.

• Straight men have a fascination with other men's penises...and therefore I'm gonna post pictures of my penis to strange women online? No.

• Men fantasize about group sex far more than women and picture more men than women in the action...and therefore I'm gonna post pictures of my penis to strange women online? No.

And, yes, the incompetence is very significant. One of the things men who act out like Weiner want IS TO GET CAUGHT! Is there anyone here not clear on that fact? It's self-sabotage, self-hatred that leads men to act out this way.

How's about this: wielding the kind of power we give to our nationally elected representatives is unhealthy for humans. It damages them and sometimes...they just break; start doing crazy shit like uploading pictures of their erect penises to total strangers.

Seriously, even Alexander the Great didn't have the kind of personal power our senators have to affect the lives of millions. What if the human animal is just not prepared to have that much power?

Oopsie!

HKCavalier

Hey, hey, hey, don't be mean. We don't have to be mean, because, remember, no matter where you go, there you are.

FREMDFIRMA

Saturday, June 11, 2011 6:06 PM

Well that's what happens when you give The One Ring to Boromir at the council, innit ?

Power is a prison, and only the wise can see the bars.

-F

DREAMTROVE

Saturday, June 11, 2011 6:07 PM

HK

I think he was seeking "fucking" help. True, it's not something other people do. I've flirted with lots of people online. I have never sent them a picture of my dong. I think that's about as appropriate as walking up to a woman on the street and whipping out your dong. It's pretty weird behavior.

That's what a ship is, you know - it's not just a keel and a hull and a deck and sails, that's what a ship needs.

HKCAVALIER

Saturday, June 11, 2011 7:29 PM

It's not just weird, Dream, it's broken. Maladaptive. Besides, there are plenty of entirely discrete and consensual contexts for men to whip out their dongs to strangers if they simply, earnestly wish to do so without violating anyone's privacy, least ways his own. Good golly, just google any of that and you'll be directed to any number of "groups in your area" etc. The kind of acting out Weiner is doing is intentionally invasive, fundamentally aggressive and dishonest. It is the product of a pathologically divided self for which there are a variety of treatments.

HKCavalier

Hey, hey, hey, don't be mean. We don't have to be mean, because, remember, no matter where you go, there you are.

1KIKI

Saturday, June 11, 2011 8:04 PM

Our media has been the Roman circus for decades. Do you really think the Fukushima story is over?

The 'news' media's job is to attract viewers to the commercials and ads.

The 'reporters' job is find find enough stuff to put in front of the editor as cheaply as possible, which usually means just repeating announcements and official statements.

The 'editors' job is not to find and relate the truly important items, but to ferret out the tasty tidbits to attract the fickle audience. Cue the heartwarming / heartbreaking/ bizarre // dog/ child/ sex mix-n'-match story.

BTW, 'fair and balanced' is a joke, and not just b/c of the painfully obvious right-wing agenda. It's ALSO because of the economics that drive the entire industry. 'Fair and balanced' is just another branding scheme so people can choose their preferred entertainment.

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