Sunday, July 5, 2009

"The News"

Think Global Act Local is a great maxim, as long as you get around to acting. Today I have been thinking. What depresses me most at the moment is the media. I read two weekend papers and local internet today. Published New Zealand journalism and columns make Time magazine a read to savour.

It is churn, a vortex, a whirlpool of misunderstanding which in time most follow to their deaths. The "gentle dark of a human daydream" as Baxter said. It obscures and arguably perpetrates conflict. It is the centre of the passive aggressive nature of our globalisation.

I think Jack Johnson expressed it well in his song, "The News"...

A billion people died on the news tonight
But not so many cried at the terrible sight
Well mama said
It's just make believe
You can't believe everything you see
So baby close your eyes to the lullabies
On the news tonight

Who's the one to decide that it would be alright
To put the music behind the news tonight
Well mama said
You can't believe everything you hear
The diegetic world is so unclear
So baby close your ears
On the news tonight
On the news tonight

The unobtrusive tones on the news tonight
And mama said
Mmm

Why don't the newscasters cry when they read about people who die
At least they could be decent enough to put just a tear in their eyes
Mama said
It's just make believe
You cant believe everything you see
So baby close your eyes to the lullabies
On the news tonight

No comments: