The Daily Me: Nicholas Kristof on the Death of Newspapers

Here is a really good piece which discusses the negative impact of a phenomenon of which I am as guilty as the next person.

Nicholas Kristof opines about the problem of looking primarily for news which confirms our prejudices and biases. This is part of the human condition of course; birds of a feather flock together. We are social animals and, as a general rule, want to get along with our friends. That often means we come to agree with most of our friends on important issues.

If I'm skeptical at all about what Kristof writes it's his observation that this is more of a problem now than in the past.

As an example, which proves his point, if there has been an increase in this rather human behavior, I believe it can be laid at the feet of the Bush administration which had a world view that all is black and white, not simple but simplistic. "You're either for us or with the terrorists." It was a polarizing administration, exacerbating extreme partisanship and it's concomitant, intractable conflict.

During the past eight years it's been difficult to ignore the cynicism and the I've-got-mine,-get-your-own attitude in the general population. Perhaps one of the more perverse legacies left behind by Bush/Cheney is that of their in-your-face attitude which pervaded the Federal Government since 2000. It was insidious, calculated and nasty. It is the way they treated anyone they thought was not willing to march in lock step with them; their own colleagues, politicians from both sides of the aisle, generals and foreign leaders. No one was immune to their viciousness. Some were passed over, some marginalized, some fired, some insulted and some threatened.

Generals, cabinet secretaries, politicians of all stripes, foreign leaders, and sovereign countries took the brunt of the nastiness, all because they didn't tow the administration's line, or they threatened Israel, who could do no wrong.

Obama won for many reasons, not the least of which was that the electorate was sick of this behavior.

As a former business executive I understand how the attitude at the top permeates an organization. The Federal Government is the ultimate "top" of the organization that is our culture and society.

Now excuse me while I go listen to Rush Limbaugh.



Leanderthal, Lighthouse Keeper