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December 8, 2007 | Yes, "The Assault on Reason" is an indication we are promoting the words of Al Gore. In the Time article from the May 28, 2007 issue, there is a discussion on whether or not Al Gore will enter the 2008 presidential race. There is also an excerpt from Al Gore's 2007 book "The Assault on Reason". Even though it would behoove every American to break free from clinging to their party affiliations and read the entire book, (review here), taking the time to re-read the excerpt published back in May remains instructive.
"Many Americans now feel that our government is unresponsive and that no one in power listens to or cares what they think. They feel disconnected from democracy. They feel that one vote makes no difference, and that they, as individuals, have no practical means of participating in America's self-government. Unfortunately, they are not entirely wrong. Voters are often viewed mainly as targets for easy manipulation by those seeking their "consent" to exercise power. By using focus groups and elaborate polling techniques, those who design these messages are able to derive the only information they're interested in receiving from citizens--feedback useful in fine-tuning their efforts at manipulation. Over time, the lack of authenticity becomes obvious and takes its toll in the form of cynicism and alienation. And the more Americans disconnect from the democratic process, the less legitimate it becomes." Not much has changed and the above is possibly more pertinent than when first published. There is also excellent discussion about our faulty media and the influence it has on the short attention span of most Americans who need to be weaned from the sound bites thrown at them for entertainment. Also, a reminder on how the average voice can be refused by big media corporations in favor of their own biased policies. "And what if an individual citizen or group of citizens wants to enter the public debate by expressing their views on television? Since they cannot simply join the conversation, some of them have resorted to raising money in order to buy 30 seconds in which to express their opinion. But too often they are not allowed to do even that. MoveOn.org tried to buy an ad for the 2004 Super Bowl broadcast to express opposition to Bush's economic policy, which was then being debated by Congress. CBS told MoveOn that "issue advocacy" was not permissible. Then, CBS, having refused the MoveOn ad, began running advertisements by the White House in favor of the president's controversial proposal. So MoveOn complained, and the White House ad was temporarily removed. By temporarily, I mean it was removed until the White House complained, and CBS immediately put the ad back on, yet still refused to present the MoveOn ad." Book Excerpt: The Assault on Reason ___________________________________ 12.8.2007 |