How We Live Now

I. Plato's Cave

Our so-called "news media" play a very large role in casting the shadows on the cave wall. It’s true that the NYT and WaPo were instrumental in bringing down Nixon, but that was before news was converted into infotainment. The real problem with Trump crying “Fake news!” is that he’s right. And, if you're sane, you never want Trump to be right. But "fake news" is everywhere. And once journalists were encouraged to invent their stories (or just substitute, say, State Department synopses of the day’s events for actual reporting—because, hey, it’s dangerous out in the streets where things actually happen), the ability to distinguish “fake” from “fact” became very difficult. So now, rather than being informed by the media, we “consume” (here in high capitalist culture) stories. The news-fiction you like (i.e., that supports your ideological bent) you privilege as “real news” and the stuff that contradicts your fantasy world you call “fake.” Trump, ever the showman, has mastered that technique.

Lala Land was originally only in Southern California because that’s where Hollywood is. Then Reagan (the Hollywood candidate) was elected and in eight years Lala Land was everywhere. With each passing year and every succeeding Presidential Administration, we go deeper down the Rabbit Hole. The remarkable advances in computerized video technology have been instrumental in this shift. It is not so remarkable, however, when you consider that these advances were paid for with entertainment industry dollars and, of course, tax dollars funneled through the Pentagon. Remember Reagan’s “Star Wars” program? Ronnie never could distinguish between his life and the roles he played on the Big Screen. Nowadays the Pentagon finances much of the video-game industry (games that glorify war and violence) and it conducts drone warfare from cubicles thousands of miles away from the killing fields (i.e., Afghan weddings and Yemeni kindergartens). So it should come as no surprise that the “reality TV” President was elected by a “reality TV” consuming public and hey, you, get off of my cloud...

II. The World As Will And Representation

Schopenhauer was right: The World as Will and Representation. Right now, the neoliberal-neofascists have the Will and control the Representations. How about those calls for Oprah to run for President! In a sane society, those calls would only have appeared in The Onion and everyone would chuckle and then return to the real business at hand. No more. These days, that IS "the real business at hand."



I gather all the news I need from the weather report and Mr. Orwell.