For those who aren't familiar with this publication, it specializes in celebrity gossip, addressing such burning questions as "Has Scarlett Turned Into a Diva?" and providing the latest must-know intelligence about the hairstyles, romances, marriages, pregnancies, babies, diets, infidelities, divorces, addictions, plastic surgeries and eating disorders of the Hollywood set. The entire celebrity life cycle, one might say.
Before my diatribe, a disclaimer of sorts: I am loath to judge the tastes and pleasures of others. I realize that in any diet, including one's consumption of media, there must be bits of candy and saturated fat complementing whole grains and roughage. And celeb rags like In Touch, along with reality TV and publications, broadcasts and websites covering sports and hobbies, are like the White Castles and Haagen-Dazs to which otherwise healthy eaters occasionally treat themselves.
But the popularity of what I'll call junk media also troubles me, for two reasons.
One is that some people read and watch only the junk, without also partaking of the public-affairs vegetables that we must consume to be good citizens. Another is that celebrity "news" unfortunately has come to compete with and influence the content of mainstream media, crowding out serious journalism. National newspapers, network and local news broadcasts are losing ground to bubble-gum media and consequently have become unduly preoccupied with the latest celebrity scandals or missing white women instead of the real news. They also devote precious news airtime and page space to promoting their own candy-and-fat programs or affiliated content -- such as Fox's local and national news channels airing "news stories" about American Idol, or CBS News interviewing Big Brother contestants on their news shows, or ABC news "covering" Disney films and other products. And when they do cover politics, they treat it like entertainment, focusing on the latest poll numbers, gaffes, mean-spirited attacks and manufactured controversies rather than on where candidates stand on issues or how their campaigns propagate lies and exaggerations.
During times like these, when so much of the news is so discouraging, it's understandable that people will seek to be entertained rather than informed. But as citizens, it is our duty to seek the information we need to provide our leaders with guidance about where we want them to take us, and hold them accountable for their actions. Our troops and their families are sacrificing much as we prosecute two wars. Millions of hardworking people are sacrificing to endure lost jobs and health care coverage. The least the rest of us can do is commit to be minimally engaged in the affairs of our country. In so doing we will honor our founders' vision of an informed citizenry that helps leaders surmount national obstacles, instead of being a disengaged populace that perpetuates and worsens our problems.
So go ahead, enjoy that frozen Butterfinger bar. But not before you eat your Brussels sprouts.
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2 comments:
I am pleased that you were careful not to blaspheme the White Castle in your post today although I admit being defensive on its behalf prior to reading it. I am one who engages in the literal and figurative diet of some White Castle and some wheat germ of which you spoke and am pleased to see that you kept your moderate position. But I ask YOU how often do you partake of White Castle? I suspect not enough, my friend. So, go ahead and watch the new season of The Biggest Loser with no shame......I myself have found that the obsession with the healthy stuff can be just as bad as overindulging on the junk. I have had no laptop for two days and I must say, its absence has been good for me. No polls, pundits online, blogs, etc. Last night I actually watched a sitcom- a repeat I had seen- and it was still great.
Further asking the question: engaged and frustrated or detached and happy? BLOG on my friend.....
Thank you for your comment. In my house, I get plenty of what one might call a White Castle contact high. Again, nothing against the junk food, just want to make sure we're all eating a well-balanced diet.
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