Media Baiting

First off, blogger.com, whoo boy, this website likes to chap my brisket. Today marks the second time I have written an enormously long message only to have it deleted when I tried to post. I know nothing is perfect, but come on, those were moments of genius lost! And you wonder why I don't update more often. Nothing like that to crush a guy's spirits. I shall attempt to recreate.

I typically check www.cnn.com throughout the day to get my news. It's moderately informative, with a few main stories grouped with a few "fun" blurbs to keep the People magazine readers sufficiently entertained.

Recently, however, I've been seeing a header called "Breaking News" on the top of the website emblazoned in red, always ending with an ominous tone of "Details soon." What I'm struck by is the complete disregard for the reader's intelligence, expecting us to be cowed by the promise of exciting news to come. News that ultimately ends up not really delivering for the shock that it attempts to drum up.

Now the first time I wrote this it came off in my mind as very cynical, because I brought up the idea of Iraq. But the point of this thought is simply that the most illuminating blurb I've recently read on the media was on the side of a Starbuck's cup, something to the effect that "there is no liberal media, there is no conservative media, there are only reporters seeking for the most sensational presentation in order to captivate their audience." Media tends to play more towards shock than real information, it's a business just like anything else and it's quite disappointing to find that we're being played with.

Anyway, it's because of this that I can understand why Bush says he doesn't pay attention to the news. Not to say that isn't a really stupid statement, if anything he should be the one reading news from multiple media outlets. What I understand is simply that Bush is likely one of the most cynical people in the nation, despite his efforts to infuse optimism and fun into his administration.

I prepared my taxes yesterday. Because they were a little more complicated than usual this year, I took them to H&R Block. In case you haven't been warned before, don't go to H&R Block. I'm paying a lot this year, but a quarter of my charges are from H&R Block. Oy. Not to mention feeling like I insulted my own intelligence by not getting my own taxes together.

But the sum total of my life right now: I have a good job, I'm in a play, I have upcoming auditions, this nice girl named taloo keeps calling me, my apartment rocks, and summer is upon us. The sun is shining. If this isn't nice, what is?