“Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people.” — Eleanor Roosevelt
I first learned of this terrific quote in 1965 in high school when bookkeeping teacher Freda Merlau (her maiden name) read it to class one morning as part of the daily ritual presentation of school news.
Almost 60 years later, it still resonates with me.
I thought about that when I came to the realization that the vast majority of Facebook posts I see deal with people, particularly celebrities. Not so much for ideas or issues.
It long has been my personal contention that we have become a nation obsessed with celebrities. What they do is important to us, much more than intelligent discussion about ideas or issues.
In fact, what celebrities think about these ideas and issues has taken over the news as well.
The most recent example that we pay too much attention to celebrities is that song and dance girl Taylor Swift was named Person of the Year by Time Magazine. I have no quarrel with the selection, but it merely shows me how far we and the news media have fallen.
The media’s obsession with Donald Trump, doing stories about everything he says or does is another telltale sign about our interest in the unimportant and superficial.
Sports perhaps is the best arena in which we demonstrate our foolish following of people who are gifted at what they do, but not decent role models or people we need to listen to.
This unpleasantness also shows up too often in what passes for political debates. The news media likes to talk too much about how relaxed and confident a candidate is rather than the substance of what he or she is saying.
I have given up covering debates and forums because they have become scripted entertainment venues that teach us very little about what lies ahead. They are public relations events in which the main characters are attempting to buy your financial support and your vote.
I should have figured this out 20 years ago when the media made a circus over the O.J. Simpson trial. Too many of us really gave a damn, and about the only important takeaway was that Americans continue to be horribly divided on racial issues.
So when I visit Facebook every day, I am keenly aware that at least 90 percent of what I see and read is overhyped garbage that may not even be true. It’s my job to separate the wheat from the chaff, which is becoming what’s left of journalism’s mission. It seems that information flows freely, you just have to be able to determine whether it’s true or false, or somewhere in between.
It was Robert F. Kennedy Jr., of all people, who said about 25 years ago that we are the best entertained and least informed society in history.
The continued celebration of individual celebrities is still the mortal enemy of an informed society, one that understands what is going on around us. It is only when we work together on common goals that we will make progress.
As long as we pay attention to what’s happening with Trump, Swift, Simpson or any other public figure, we are clueless about things that really matter.
Thanks for your continued efforts at keeping a modicum of local independent media alive.
It feels like the adage of “bread and circuses” is an ever prevalent theme. As long as the masses have full bellies and plenty of entertainment, they could care less about what is actually going on, let alone have the desire to do anything about it.
Excuse my pessimism, unfortunately I fear it may be an even more insidious mechanism. I think the political planners/consultants/masterminds and marketing experts have figured out a way to short circuit our freedom of choice. Perhaps this has always been a factor, although it appears to be a primary tactic in recent decades, even more so with social media.
The motive force of fear vs desire or approval, is far stronger or at least easier to manipulate. It does not seem to matter what someone or some group is actually about or promoting. What has taken priority are the efforts to tear down, denigrate, discount, or dismiss who or what they have learned is “the enemy”, in essence, demonizing.
Rather than submit any actual plan of substance, any ideals or objectives, just drumming of fear. Ignorant propagation of blind hate and irrational fear. We do not have to actually have anything desired in mind, a goal, actual plan, any reason that one thing is better than the other, or even “like” someone or something. All that is necessary is an intention toward or labeling of bad/danger/enemy. It is far easier to just tear down the opposition rather than promote anything at all.
Perhaps this is a survival mechanism that has persisted since cave dwelling times. When a threat was upon us, all we had time to do was point and utter the magic noise that signified bad. Everyone would instinctively stop thinking, not dare ask any questions, and run in fear or perhaps fight back. I can’t help but see this as the trigger that is exploited. It is a more powerful motivator to fear and be against something rather than for anything at all.
Or, perhaps it is just plain mental laziness. Pay attention just long enough to grasp what your preferred team has identified as “the take/talking point” regarding an issue or event. As long as you yell the appropriate chant, you are towing the team line, and doing a “good job”.
It stands to reason then, the way in which a lot of prevalent protests come to a head as angry, ignorant, destructive mobs. They are not actually promoting anything, even though they may yell some phrase or slogan, it is just anger in opposition.
So then, the big question is, what can we do? The responsibility is on each of our shoulders to question and even research the intent and credibility of our chosen sources, personalities, and avenues of information. It is not an easy task, I do not hold much optimism. It can require time, something that technology was promised to provide us with a surplus of, it seems to only consume more. We must pay appropriate attention, again a resource or ability that technology is draining.
I cant help but think of what a citizen from a century or two past would think of our time. They would likely be amazed at the convenience of course, likely jealous of all the information and essentially free education available to anyone. It seems probable that they would be bewildered at how often, so many choose, to essentially forfeit their hard earned right to think and decide for themselves, and go along, just to “score points”.