Wednesday, March 2, 2011

Looking In

I was speaking with my good friend Microdot and during our conversation I had the image of the Savoy Brown’s album cover, “Looking In,” which led to the thoughts of this posting.

As a young man in my early 20’s I took to traveling the world as the first part of my “Life’s Experience” education. I traveled most of the coastal countries in South America and Southern Europe over a two year time period.

One of the aspects I noticed many years ago during my travels, and I told many friends and peers when I got back into the U.S., of the culture shock enlightenment and the value of being outside of the U.S. and looking back in from the prospective of those in another country. It is quite different than what many here think, being based on limited exposure, what the world is about or what we think should be. This was an eye opening lesson from the “School Of Real Life” that I learned at a young age.

What comes to mind is the title of Rush Limbaugh’s early book titled, “The Way Things Should Be.” Those who bought this book thinking it is a good guideline for their facts and viewpoints, should also read, “The Way Things Aren't: Rush Limbaugh's Reign of Error” which points out over 100 Outrageously False and Foolish Statements!! Another good counter point book is, “Rush Limbaugh Is A Big Fat Idiot” by Al Franken, which takes point by point, fact by fact of Rush Limbaugh’s book and disproves every misleading, misinformation, aspect of Rush’s statements.

This being said, there are still too many that will quote Rush as being fact on subjects as Climate Change, Environment, Social Issues, etc., from a person that from his own admission, flunked out of college before getting into radio as a top forty music “Shock Jock.” Rush is still doing the same act today the only difference is it is now a “Political Shock Jock” platform. What has changed is Rush's progression from Marijuana to OxyContin for his epific visions. He should NOT be quoted or given any more credibility than Howard Stern when giving political advice. Both are entertaining to many but not credible politically in any stretch of the word.

There needs to be more critical thinking, questioning, and not just accepting what is being told as the “End All To Be All,” facts!

We now have proof of “Big Corporate Money” dominating the communication media in this country and the information being disseminated is skewed drastically. This "Big Money" also is having an undue influence with our political leaders today. Much like George Orwell’s book, “Nineteen Eighty Four,” we are seeing the science fiction predictions coming true today.

So in conclusion one could say, we need to wakeup and understand that, “The world is not the U.S.’s oyster,” or maybe Samuel Clemmons said it better, “Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one's lifetime.”

8 comments:

  1. Hello Engineer of Knowledge,
    You are SO correct---the U.S. is NOT the center of the universe. Our ignorance leads us to errantly believe we are always right; our way is always the best, or only way; and that everyone in other countries would just love to live here or be just like us. As one who has traveled outside our borders and actually mingled with the inhabitants of other countries, I know firsthand the falseness of each of those assumptions.

    Those who believe in Rush Limbaugh are sadly mistaken. The guy knows nothing about anything. Worse yet, he doesn't even WANT to know the truth. He simply wants to spew out his lies and never be called on the carpet for any of them. The same is true of Glenn Beck, Michael Savage, and all the other shock jocks.

    I would strongly recommend a long foreign trip for all who believe we are the center of the universe, ESPECIALLY for every far-right conservative Republican. Your Mark Twain quote at the very end says it all. Great job!

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  2. It's a sad comment that the US has become an island of ignorance in the Internet age. As the quote said in one of my posts:
    Two hundred years ago the founders of the republic would have been deliriously happy at the idea of Americans able to be informed by the sheer volume of available facts the digital information age would produce. The fatal assumption was that Americans would choose to think and learn, instead of reinforcing their particular choice of cultural ignorance.
    The problem is that the US media is consolidating into the hands of a few so that even what few "independent" sources, such as "public" broadcasting are finding that they must repeat what is already out there.

    I think the founders were hoping that they could create a society upon the principles of the craft rather than of any sect. Their idealistic mindset unfortunately has not borne fruit.

    Let's hope that changes.

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  3. Hello Laci,
    Good to hear from you.

    Yes, it was Thomas Jefferson who said:

    "Educate and inform the mass of the people. Enable them to see that it is their interest to preserve peace and order, and they will preserve them. Enlighten the people generally, and tyranny and oppression of the body and mind will vanish like evil spirits at the dawn of day."

    But as if he could predict the future of the Conservative Blow Hard Broadcasting today he also said:

    "He who knows nothing is closer to the truth than he whose mind is filled with falsehoods and errors."

    I am sure we all know a couple of people that fits this statement don't we? ;-)

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  4. Interestingly, there is a lot being written about a company called Premier On Call these last few days. It is a "casting agency" for professional paid ringers who are hired to call into Rush's Show.
    The paid actors are made to sign a confidentiality agreement to not discuss what they do, but it has become more and more well known.
    Since the story broke, the website disappeared, but it has been captured
    here:

    http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:V-DrnPsRQeoJ:www.premiereradio.com/shows/view/premiere_on_call.html+premiere+on+call&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us&client=firefox-a&source=www.google.com

    If you go to the different buttons on the page, they scroll down and you see the list of clients. Yes there are left wing and middle of the road shows, but most are of the ilk of Beck and Limbaugh.
    I think you are correct about the effect of widening ones world view...
    I hate to say that my mentality is mature...I revel in my idiocy and cling to so many of the same things I have always loved...But, I see the particular idiotic mindset of the lumpen conservative masses in America as more the results of emotional immaturity. The ability to go beyond the childish selfishness of MINE! MY TOYS! ME FIRST! is the result of emotional and intellectual maturity.
    To see yourself as part of a society to which you contribute to for the enoblement of all is how we become more human.
    There is a childish romanticism of being a loner, believing that you are apart from the society you live in. That somehow, you are different and special....
    There is a big difference between the reality that we are all different and special as individuals, but for all that makes us different, we are more the same as every other human on the planet. That is what a real world view can give us. You learn to see others as they see you.

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  5. I found some interesting data which you can interpret as you wish, but the co-relation is pretty obvious in a bizarre way. I published the maps on my blog today.
    If you look at a state by state map showing passport ownership and the latest national map showing the almost epidemic rise of diabetes in some parts of America, you could almost over lay the maps and have the same percentages.
    Needless to say , the passport ownership is lowest where the diabetes numbers are the highest, a broad swath through middle America which gets worse in the deep south.

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  6. ...the passport ownership is lowest where the diabetes numbers are the highest, a broad swath through middle America which gets worse in the deep south.


    These are the people who, on the Census, identify their ethnic background as 'American.'

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  7. Even more depressing observations...
    Do you get the feeling that there are many here among us who feel life is but a joke?
    It's as abstract as just not being able to see the consequences of their actions, instead it boils down to a big sports event...my team, your team...I root for the Republicrats, you root for Democripans....
    Yay team! Sit back and watch it on TV and let FOX give you the play by play.

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  8. ...it's a sad situation and I see little hope for any much-needed change on the horizon.

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