The media in the United States has found it difficult to cultivate a reputation of non-bias. The political right accuses the media of actively promoting liberal candidates and causes, and the left either points out the conservative sympathies of the dominant Fox News Network, or scoffs at hearing the same complaint once again. I was raised in Europe in a multi-cultural household (meaning French-American), and my brother and sister and I developed an international perspective to life at an early age. I have always attempted to stay abreast of political developments in far-off places, and chose an occupation that would ensure a healthy dose of unique environments to live in and absorb. In particular, I have enjoyed international politics. That being said, I rarely commented about politics in other countries unless I had accrued some living time in said location. I may devour the statistical results of Burkina Faso's last Congressional election, but I will keep my comments to myself. Why? Because the political events in most foreign countries do not directly impact me (I said most, not all), and frankly put, it's none of my business. I have spend two decades of my life battling against the specter of "The Ugly Anerican", who continues to expect everyone in Paris to speak English and to have a McDonald's on every street corner of Tbilisi. I refuse to add to the problem by telling people how they should run their own country. In fact, except for providing basic information, I rarely notice U.S. media editorializing about foreign elections (the unavoidable exception being any French election which includes Marine Le Pen and the National Front political party).
That being said, we certainly are not given the same courtesy. Yesterday, while vainly training to reach "Radio Classics-148" on my Sirius Satellite radio without getting distracted on the way (I failed), I caught a BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation) commentary on the current U.S. political scene. The announcer was forgettable, and his material shockingly predictable, but it still managed to infuriate me, which I'm sure would please Mr. BBC if he knew. The first "fact" regarding the 2016 election that I managed to get from the commentary was that "ignorant, racist" (my quotation marks) people were voting in droves, hence the success that Donald Trump has enjoyed to date. On the left, Bernie Sanders has also enjoyed a surprising level of popularity, but his voters were "young, thoughtful college students determined to have their say". The BBC, picking up where NBC, MSNBC, CNN, NPR and CBS left off, has no problem expressing its own opinion regarding U.S. politics. I'm so ancient, I remember a time when the media at least made an effort to appear unbiased. The commentary continued to insult, repeatedly referring to Donald Trump's political ideology as "racist and bigoted". I don't recall Ted Cruz being mentioned much, but I belief Kasich was introduced as the only moderate in the Republican field, so therefore obviously having no chance whatsoever. The commentator mentioned Hillary Clinton, barely disguising his sadness regarding her high negative ratings and continued problems with "server-gate".
I should have anticipated what the BBC had to offer beforehand and kept that dial moving until I reached "Dragnet" or "Johnny Dollar, Insurance Investigator". Instead, I listened to the entire commentary and was reminded of just how stupid the British people must think we are, as they ponder how in the heck we managed to defeat them in two wars. If I had been delivering a commentary instead of Mr. BBC, my perspective wouldn't have taken long to share. Donald Trump, who I DO NOT support, is on the receiving end of a angry and frightened electorate's attempt to change the direction in which our country is headed. Contrary to the smart folks at the BBC, I do not believe that the "bigot and racist" voting bloc has finally showed its strenth in 2016. The simple truth is that changes are taking place in the United States that are subtlety impacting the way our children are raised and the way in which we represent ourselves internationally. The current administration has been determined to steadily increase the number of Americans who are dependent upon Washington DC for a paycheck, for programs regarding elementary education, and to make moral decisions without really taking into account the perspective of the majority of Americans. The Obama Administration has purposely politicized the government to the point that career civil service employees either jump on board the entitlement express, or retire. The Justice Department and the FBI have been told what and who to investigate, just as the IRS, with a brand-new politically appointed Director, starts harassing Conservative political organizations and lining up their supporters for audits. President Obama has decided that he is just too intelligent to be burdened with the Constitution, so instead of working with Congress, Executive Action is used to handle controversial issues. As for our international standing, the free world has been effectively without a leader since 2008. Actually, the Obama Administration did decide to impact one particular foreign environment: Iraq. Because we unexpectedly removed our troops (and military instructors) in 2010, ISIS took full advantage, crossed back into Iraq from Syria, forced military engagement with the Iraqi Army outside Tikrit, and when the scared, untrained 17-year old Iraqi soldiers dropped their weapons and ran back towards Baghdad, ISIS was on the receiving end of a military weapons and supplies haul like has never before been seen.
These are just some of the reasons that the American people are voting for Donald Trump and Ted Cruz. Both men are considered to be outside the GOP establishment, which has avoided standing up to this Administration at almost every opportunity (there is no shame in being called a "racist", Senate Majority Leader McConnell and Speaker of the House Ryan, if the accusation is FALSE). The American Conservative voter is demanding change, and will not relax until steps are taken to address the obscene national debt. Jeb Bush never got off the schneid because conservatives want change. The Democrats are flirting with "Chairman Mao" Bernie Sanders but will eventually rally behind Hillary. Seems to me they are only interested in turning back the clock, some of them to the days of Marx and Engels.
I began this long post with a complaint regarding the media, and I will try and end on that note. We can't control what decisions are made by the press and media, and they would ignore our advice regardless. They are the ultimate elite and understand economics, foreign policy, and the human heart so much better than the Unwashed Masses. What I dream of is a media that presents the news, full stop. Who decided that we needed editorials anyways? When did some network corporate genius come along and decide that we were too stupid to understand the events taking place in our world, so they needed to EXPLAIN it too us. In 2008, the European media fell in love with Barack Obama, and instructed Europeans (including political leaders) to love him as well. Nothing else can explain the blind loyalty with which the EU has supported a president who took office with no military experience, unable to understand any language but English, and having never really had a job. So BBC, following in line behind most U.S. media, has discovered that the voters who have chosen Donald Trump and Ted Cruz to fight it out for the nomination, are crusty, angry, ignorant racist bigots. Let's see how far this gets them as the election heats up.
PS (WANTED: A non-political news service that gives me the news, and has enough faith in me to assume that I can figure out the details on my own.)
No comments:
Post a Comment