[Political “gaffe” stories] are completely information-free news events, and they absolutely dominate political news coverage and analysis. It’s like asking your doctor if the X-rays show a tumor, and all he’ll talk about is how stupid the radiologist’s haircut looks. . . . [“Blast”] stories are. . . just as content-free as the “gaffe” stories. But they are popular for the same reason: There’s a petty, tribal satisfaction in seeing a member of our team really put the other team in their place. And there’s a rush of outrage adrenaline when the other team says something mean about us. So, instead of covering pending legislation or the impact it could have on your life, the news media covers the dick-measuring contest.
I am consistently impressed by the quality of the writing that comes out of Cracked, especially relative to what one might expect given its appearance.
instead of covering pending legislation or the impact it could have on your life
If “impact on your life” is the relevant criterion, then it seems to me Wong should be focusing on the broader mistake of watching the news in the first place. If the average American spent ten minutes caring about e.g. the Trayvon Martin case, then by my calculations that represents roughly a hundred lifetimes lost.
-David Wong, 5 Ways to Spot a B.S. Political Story in Under 10 Seconds
I am consistently impressed by the quality of the writing that comes out of Cracked, especially relative to what one might expect given its appearance.
If “impact on your life” is the relevant criterion, then it seems to me Wong should be focusing on the broader mistake of watching the news in the first place. If the average American spent ten minutes caring about e.g. the Trayvon Martin case, then by my calculations that represents roughly a hundred lifetimes lost.
You have a funny definition of “lost”. By that measure, JRR Tolkien is worse than a mass-murderer.