One measure of the conformity and alienation of the times is the conflict between media perspective and individual perspective. News media are hyper-focused on political propaganda and theater. After all, selling laundry detergent has always required getting the attention of the viewer with sex, violence and loud noises.
The perspective for many of us on the ground is quite different from the melodrama on TV, radio and Web. We know that money is tight for most of us. We see the depressed and anxious faces on subways, in supermarkets and on sidewalks. Those of us who live near an affluent city, like Boston, see something else as well. We can walk along Boylston Street in Back Bay and see a micro-sample of the wealthy from all over the U.S. and the world. They stay in the new, expensive hotels. They are shopping in posh shops. They are sipping expensive drinks in chic bars and eateries. They project arrogance and lack of consideration for anyone else. Their perspective of the times is quite different, I am sure. It always has been.
Working out the dissonance between what we are fed by corporate-controlled media and what we are actually experiencing is a modern existential burden. We can fall into the trap of seeing polarity and dichotomy in abstract political terms, such as Liberal and Conservative, as the media portray society to sell their soap and cars. Or, we can strive to reach out to each other in society to learn what we are thinking and perceiving. We can use our own eyes to see what is really happening and openly discuss our experiences with each other.
Perhaps those who have run to the banners of the various Tea Party groups are seeking to do just that in a country which does not readily allow dissent against the media portrayal of society after the Bush era. Perhaps those who ran to the Obama campaign were also seeking a different perspective than the one handed to them by media under the controlling Bush regime. Some have sought this sharing community among vocal atheists, whose life-view is dissent in religiously dominated culture.
The media, once seen as an essential part of civilized society, have flagged in their responsibility to be fair and impartial. They have become tainted by political money, which is the money of corrupting corporate power. They had bowed to George Bush, Dick Cheney and Rupert Murdoch. They are in the habit of bowing and cannot seem to stop themselves.
