Sunday, January 25, 2004
I must admit I watch too much TV. The problem is that I got sucked into a pundit vortex. You see, I read the paper-lots of papers actually, and I listen to alot of NPR. These are generally decent ways to get your news. If you read a good variety of papers (national and international), and listen to "nuthin' but the facts" news like npr generally is, you get the chance to see a story from all angles, and form your own opinions. But when you find yourself a political junkie, with no job, you start watching a little show called "inside politics" at 3:30 followed by "crossfire" at 4:30. And on mondays they always report on amazing revelations made on "the sunday morning programs" (these would be, "meet the press", "face the nation" etc.) so you start watching those too so you'll feel more "in the know". Now, all of these shows have a certain degree to contribute to the national debate. But I realized this week as the New Hampshire primary has become a circus that I am sick to death of all of these pundits and they are pretty much full of crap. Even worse is that alot of people think, as I used to, that they are authorities who must have some insider info. But Y'know what-in general their insider info is the same as yours or mine-they read the papers and form opinions. I don't know why I'm going off on this except to say this-don't let polls or talking heads tell you what to think. If you're reading this you have the internet, and hence the greatest resource ever invented to actually follow the news around the country and the world. Plus -bonus-if you form your own informed opinions and ever come up against someone who thinks they know better you'll have the mad hard skills to tell them you agree or disagree using big words and names of world leaders and believe me, at parties that feels awesome. (especially at parties with your second cousin who works at the American enterprise institute.) ;) The point is this-you've heard it before and it's good advice-think for yourself. If you can form opinions about what music you like and which clothes to wear you are just as capable of forming opinions about things going on in your world-in fact that's the job of a citizen in a democracy. And never let pundits and commentators tell you you're wrong or stupid because if you're smart enough to care who the hell are they to think they know better? Alright-I'm done.
