2013년 12월 4일 수요일

About 'university of florida mascot'|MSU Mascot “Sparty” Appearing in SW Florida







About 'university of florida mascot'|MSU Mascot “Sparty” Appearing in SW Florida








Since               its               advent,               television               has               become               the               predominant               means               in               which               Americans               have               come               to               learn               about               themselves               and               the               issues               of               the               day.

But               television               has               done               a               poor               job               of               presenting               some               of               the               most               important               issues               facing               America,               that               of               class               and               race.

Gregory               Mantsios               was               correct               when               he               wrote               in               his               essay,               "Class               in               America:               Myths               and               Realities,"               that               the               "institutions               that               shape               mass               culture               and               define               the               parameters               of               public               debate               have               avoided               class               issues."               (Rereading               319)               But               he               failed               to               realize               that               television,               particularly               the               evening               news,               does               deal               with               class               and               race               but               in               ways               that               skew               the               debate               rather               than               add               clarification.

The               news,               both               local               and               network               broadcasts,               tends               to               perpetuate               stereotypes               of               the               underclass               and               present               an               inaccurate               depiction               of               poverty.

Their               avoidance               of               class               issues               is               driven               by               a               desire               to               pursue               high               ratings               and               the               demographics,               primarily               middle               class               or               the               18               to               49               year               old               age               group,               that               are               the               most               appealing               to               advertisers.

But,               in               doing               so,               not               only               does               the               news               media               help               create               inaccurate               perceptions               of               class               and               poverty               in               America,               it               also               leads               the               public               to               want               political               or               legislative               answers               to               problems               that               exacerbate               rather               than               resolve               them.
               Studies               have               shown               that               the               gap               between               the               haves               and               the               have-nots               have               widened               in               the               past               eight               years               since               the               beginning               of               the               longest               economic               expansion               in               American               history.

The               United               States               has               one               of               the               highest               ratios               in               income               gaps               between               the               rich               and               the               poor               in               any               industrialized               nation.

The               top               1%               of               U.S.

families               has               risen               to               78%,               while               more               than               the               middle               fifth               of               the               population               saw               their               income               decline               by               5.3               %.

(Mantsios               321).

Yet,               you'd               be               hard-pressed               to               hear               those               facts               on               the               evening               news.

During               the               economic               expansion,               which               was               driven               by               the               high-tech               stock               bubble,               stories               about               twentysomethings               who               were               getting               rich               after               their               startup               dot-coms               went               public               on               Wall               Street               and               high-tech               giants               such               as               Cisco               Systems               were               the               norm.

Jeff               Bezos,               the               president               formerly               of               AOL               (now               AOL               Time               Warner),               was               the               darling               of               Time               magazine               who,               in               1999,               had               named               him               their               "Person               of               the               Year."               CNBC               had               trumpeted               the               stocks               of               these               Internet               startups               and               "Good               Morning               America"               had               featured               the               mascot               from               Pets.com,               a               sock               puppet,               on               its               program               (it               was               later               discovered               that               Disney               Corp.,               which               is               the               parent               company               of               "Good               Morning               America,"               also               owned               stocks               of               Pets.com               before               it               went               out               of               business,               much               to               the               embarrassment               of               Diane               Sawyer,               one               of               the               hosts               on               the               morning               news               program).
               "Nightline,"               also               from               ABC               News,               did               a               story               on               the               lifestyles               and               social               habits,               or               lack               thereof,               of               these               newly-minted               Silicon               Valley               millionaires.

A               year               later,               just               as               the               high-tech               bubble               was               starting               to               burst,               they               ran               a               story               about               two               young               men               and               their               travails               in               getting               investments               for               their               dot-com               startup.

These               stories               gave               the               impression               that               everybody               in               America               was               rolling               in               wealth.

Indeed,               many               of               the               reports               concluded               that               more               and               more               Americans               were               investing               on               Wall               Street               (advertisers               also               gave               this               impression               with               ads               for               investment               firms               clogging               the               airwaves,               especially               during               news               programs).
               While               it               is               true               that               the               number               of               Americans               who               had               money               in               the               stock               market               has               risen               thanks               to               401k               plans,               what               these               reports               did               not               say               was               that               a               large               majority               had               only               $1,000               invested               in               stocks,               while               the               top               1               %               of               Americans               owned               more               than               75%               of               stocks               on               Wall               Street.
               When               the               high-tech               bubble               burst,               the               stories               then               shifted               to               how               these               now               suddenly               unemployed               workers               in               Silicon               Valley               were               faring.

Reports               focused               on               pink-slip               parties               that               were               being               held               in               San               Jose               and               San               Francisco               and               the               subsequent               job               searches               of               the               unemployed.

The               media               also               offered               viewers               ideas               on               how               to               get               new               jobs,               such               as               resume               and               interviewing               tips.
               The               end               of               the               economic               expansion,               which               began               under               President               Clinton,               and               was               now               ending               at               the               end               of               his               tenure,               offered               pundits               and               business               analysts               the               opportunity               to               scratch               their               heads               and               wonder               how               the               bubble               could               have               gotten               so               enormous               in               the               first               place.

None               were               quick               to               lay               the               blame               at               their               own               feet,               since               they               were               the               ones               who               "talked-up"               these               stocks               to               their               viewers               and               readers,               even               though               there               were               no               discernible               evidence               that               these               startups               were               making               or               were               going               to               make               a               profit.

It               should               also               be               stated               that               many               of               these               analysts,               such               as               the               ones               on               CNBC,               were               heavily               invested               in               the               reputation               of               these               companies               since               many               owned               stocks               in               them               as               well.
               Lost               in               all               of               this               dialogue               about               wealth               were               the               middle               class               and               the               poor               in               America.

While               small-time               investors               were               losing               money               on               stocks               that               were               going               belly-up,               analysts               and               investment               bankers               were               making               a               killing.

Since               many               of               them               knew               from               the               get-go               that               these               companies               had               no               promise               of               making               a               profit,               they               got               out               when               the               first               signs               of               trouble               appeared               on               the               horizon               and               were               able               to               recoup               their               investments               (the               Enron               debacle               is               but               one               extreme               case               of               this).

But               if               the               reality               of               middle-class               Americans               during               the               late               nineties               was               left               unreported,               the               story               of               the               underclass               became               taboo.
               To               suggest               that               there               were               still               poor               people               in               America               during               this               expansion               period               was               anathema               to               the               narrative               many               of               the               news               media               and               politicians               were               spinning               about               how               more               Americans               were               benefiting               from               the               economic               boom.

After               President               Clinton               signed               the               1996               Welfare               Reform               Act,               he,               along               with               other               politicians,               hailed               it               as               a               success               when               more               than               7               million               people               were               moved               off               the               welfare               rolls.

The               news               media               followed               suit               in               its               appraisal               of               the               Act.

But               the               successes               of               the               Welfare               Reform               Act               were               much               more               complex               than               was               being               reported.
               Yes,               more               women               were               off               welfare               and               working,               but               many               of               the               jobs               that               these               former               recipients               had               were               often               low-wage.

In               the               Bay               Area,               where               one               must               earn               a               living               wage               of               $25.99               an               hour               in               order               to               survive,               the               average               welfare               recipient               in               Contra               Costa               County               was               earning               $9.11               in               newly               placed               jobs               (source:               Contra               Costa               County               Employment               &               Human               Services,               CA               Budget               Project,               Contra               Costa               West               County               Times).

Child               care,               housing,               and               education               were               issues               that               were               also               woefully               addressed.

A               few               years               after               the               signing               of               the               act,               food               harvest               banks               around               the               country               began               reporting               that               more               and               more               people               were               requesting               their               services.

They               singled               out               the               Welfare               Reform               Act               as               but               one               of               many               reasons               why               so               many               people               were               going               hungry.

While               some               news               outlets,               such               as               newspapers,               reported               on               these               issues,               most,               particularly               broadcast               news,               glossed               over               these               facts.
               When               the               news               media               does               report               on               the               poor               and               the               underclass,               their               depiction               often               paints               an               inaccurate               picture               of               poverty.

According               to               the               media,               the               faces               of               the               poor               tend               to               be               black               or               Latino               and               always               criminal-minded.

Such               portrayals               are               simplistic               and               do               not               present               poverty               in               all               its               diversity               and               complexity.

While               most               stories               about               welfare               recipients               tend               to               feature               black               women,               the               reality               is               that               the               majority               of               women               on               welfare               are               white.

Another               face               of               the               poor               are               the               elderly,               many               of               whom               are               dependent               solely               on               Social               Security               for               subsistence               -               -a               fact               that               is               mentioned               during               newscasts               but               only               when               they               report               on               the               various               political               wranglings               in               Washington,               D.C.

over               Social               Security.

The               poor               also               often               reside               in               the               suburbs,               another               fact               that               is               rarely               mentioned               in               the               news               (though               to               its               credit,               "Nightline,"               did               a               story               on               this               issue               a               few               years               back,               following               several               suburban               families               who               relied               on               harvest               banks               for               food).
               The               news               continue               to               prefer               the               stereotypical               depiction               of               the               poor               living               in               crime-riddled               ghettoes.

But               it               is               the               children               who               are               the               real               faces               of               destitution.

America               has               the               highest               rate               of               child               poverty               than               any               other               industrialized               country.

More               than               a               quarter               of               all               children               under               the               age               of               six               in               the               United               States               live               in               poverty,               according               to               Mantsios               (Rereading               321).

But               when               children               are               the               subject               of               news               stories,               they               are               usually               shown               as               perpetrators               of               vicious               crimes,               not               victims               of               hunger,               housing               shortages,               or               inadequate               education.
               Crime               stories               make               up               the               bulk               of               reports               on               the               evening               and               network               news.

In               a               1997               study               published               by               the               Center               for               Media               and               Public               Affairs               (CMPA),               coverage               of               violent               crimes               on               the               network               evening               news               rose               over               700%               between               1993               and               1996.

Though               9/11               briefly               pushed               many               other               crime               stories               off               the               radar               screen,               they               have               not               disappeared               entirely               from               news               programs.

In               spite               of               the               fact               that               crime               has               gone               down               since               the               early               nineties,               the               media               insists               on               cluttering               their               newscasts               with               crime               stories,               the               more               lurid               the               better.
               The               phrase               "If               it               bleeds,               it               leads"               came               out               of               the               local               news               directors'               edict               about               what               stories               get               top               priority               on               evening               newscasts               and               what               don't.

While               the               tabloidization               of               crime               stories               have               always               been               fairly               egalitarian               (the               murder               of               JonBenet               Ramsey               being               one               recent               example),               there               are               stark               differences               in               how               crimes               committed               by               the               middle               class               or               rich               and               crimes               committed               by               the               poor               and               people               of               color               are               covered               by               the               media,               particularly               on               talk               radio               and               through               the               pundit               class.

One               perfect               example               is               how               the               news               media               covered               the               Columbine               shootings               in               1999               and               the               Lionel               Tate               trial               of               2001.
               When               teenagers               Dylan               Klebold               and               Eric               Harris               stormed               into               the               hallways               of               Columbine               High               School               in               1999,               killing               18               of               their               school               mates               before               turning               their               guns               on               themselves,               America               was               stunned               by               the               sheer               enormity               of               the               act               (which               also               included               plans               to               blow               up               the               school)               and               the               number               of               innocent               lives               lost               in               the               carnage,               in               spite               of               the               fact               that               similar               school               shootings               by               juveniles               had               occurred               in               the               two-year               period               prior               to               this.

Immediately               after               the               incident,               Americans,               with               the               media               acting               as               mediator,               began               to               question               why               two               young               teenagers               from               seemingly               well-to-do-homes               would               be               driven               to               such               a               violent               and               cruel               act.

Everyone,               from               talk               shows               on               twenty-four               hour               cable               news               networks               like               CNN               and               Fox               News               Network,               to               morning               news               programs               such               as               the               "Today               Show"               and               "Good               Morning               America,"               brought               on               psychology               experts,               legal               analysts,               politicians,               police               chiefs,               social               commentators,               and               the               occasional               celebrity               media               whore               to               sift               through               the               remains               of               these               two               young               men's               minds               and               sort               out               what               could               have               been               the               cause               of               the               shootings.
               Their               answers               were               varied.

While               some               suggested               that               these               young               men               were               the               victims               of               school               bullying               by               the               sports               jocks               at               their               school,               others               said               that               violent               media,               such               as               video               games               and               music               by               artists               like               Marilyn               Manson               and               the               Insane               Clown               Posse,               were               the               real               culprits.

Conservatives               bemoaned               the               fact               that               God               and               religion               had               been               taken               out               of               our               nation's               learning               institutions               and               that               had               the               Ten               Commandments               been               posted               in               this               school,               perhaps               these               terrible               killings               would               not               have               occurred               (ironically,               Columbine,               Colorado               is               a               heavily               religious               community).
               Liberals               stated               that               the               communities               rigid               social               atmosphere               ostracized               young               people               who               were               deemed               "different"               or               "weird"               or               who               simply               did               not               fit               in.

Goths               and               the               so-called               "Trenchcoat               Mafia"               also               had               fingers               pointed               in               their               direction,               causing               a               backlash               against               them               across               the               country               (days               after               the               Columbine               killings,               Goth               teenagers               reported               being               harassed               not               only               by               other               class               mates               but               by               school               administrators,               as               well).

What               was               particularly               strange               about               all               this               need               for               explaining               "cause               and               effect,"               especially               from               conservatives,               was               that               had               Klebold               and               Harris               been               poor               and               black               or               Latino,               and               such               explanations               were               made               to               understand               their               behavior,               those               making               such               explanations               would               have               been               excoriated               for               "blaming               society               for               the               behavior               of               individuals."               Such               criticism               is               leveled               all               the               time               when               violence               in               poor               communities               of               color               are               dissected               for               explanation.
               When               14-year               old               Lionel               Tate               was               sentenced               to               life               without               parole,               making               him               the               youngest               person               to               be               handed               such               a               sentence               in               United               States               history,               for               brutally               beating               his               six-year               old               friend               Tiffany               Eunick               to               death,               there               were               few               suggestions               out               of               the               media               that               Tate,               like               Klebold               and               Harris,               was               a               victim               of               violent               media.

While               all               concerned,               including               the               prosecutors,               were               shocked               when               Broward               County               judge               Joe               Lazarus               delivered               his               harsh               sentence,               no               one               disagreed               with               the               jury's               assessment               in               rejecting               the               defense               counsels               claims               that               Tate               had               merely               been               influenced               by               the               WWF               and               was               trying               to               copy               the               moves               he               had               seen               made               by               such               wrestlers               as               Hulk               Hogan               and               the               Rock               on               little               Tiffany               when               he               killed               her.
               Television               pundits               also               uniformly               rejected               this               defense               claim.

They               made               note               of               the               young               man's               size               as               opposed               to               6-year               old               Tiffany's               and               how               he               should               have               been               old               enough               to               know               his               own               strength.

While               there               were               a               few               who               came               out               in               defense               of               Lionel               Tate,               and               all               agreed               with               the               prosecutors               and               defense               attorneys               that               the               judge's               sentence               was               too               harsh,               even               going               so               far               as               to               suggest               that               Governor               Jeb               Bush               of               Florida               should               commute               the               sentence,               few               of               these               pundits               offered               the               same               empathy               to               Tate               or               the               need               to               understand               his               motives               as               they               had               with               Klebold               and               Harris               two               years               earlier.

The               cases               of               the               young               man,               also               in               Florida,               who               shot               and               killed               his               teacher,               or               the               now-disputed               "wilding"               beatings               of               a               New               York               City               female               jogger               over               a               decade               ago,               were               presented               in               the               media               as               examples               of               amoral,               pathological               "super               predator"               (i.e.

poor,               black               teenagers)               let               loose               in               our               nation's               cities.
               It               would               be               easy               to               brush               off               criticism               of               how               the               media               covered               the               Columbine               shootings               as               opposed               to               other               crime               stories,               particularly               those               committed               by               the               poor               or               people               of               color,               as               just               another               example               of               bleeding-heart               liberals               playing               the               "race               card"               or               "class               warfare,"               the               criticism               de               jour               leveled               at               any               one               who               dares               bring               up               the               problems               of               classism               and               racism               in               this               country.

After               all,               the               media               was               just               as               brutal               against               the               Ramsey               family               and               even               speculated               whether               JonBenet's               parents               or               her               brother               were               the               ones               responsible               for               her               death.

But               the               media's               harshness               against               the               Ramsey               family               is               beyond               the               point.

What               matters               is               the               fact               that               not               all               wealthy               white               families               were               judged               critically               for               pathological               deviance               as               the               underclass               or               blacks               often               are               in               similar               cases.
               The               Ramseys,               who               were               never               charged               with               anything               regarding               JonBenet's               death               (in               fact               no               one               has               been               charged               in               her               murder.

Her               case               is               still               unsolved),               were               treated               as               a               rare               but               interesting               abnormality,               like               the               phenomenon               of               conjoined               twins,               in               the               pristine               heart               of               well-to-do               Colorado.

In               the               media,               the               message               is               clear:               the               poor               or               blacks               or               Latinos,               when               they               are               accused               of               a               crime,               are               considered               "common"               pathological               problems               and               must               be               "locked               up"               and               out               of               society's               way,               while               white               collar               or               middle-class               criminals               are               considered               "aberrant"               in               relation               to               their               race               and               social               status,               and               whose               causes               of               deviancy               must               be               analyzed,               understood               and,               wherever               necessary,               corrected.
               The               news               media's               skewing               of               race               and               class               can               have               devastating               results.

Since               most               Americans               receive               their               information               from               television               news,               and               broadcast               and               cable               news               fail               to               show               the               complexities               of               the               problems               associated               with               poverty,               the               solutions               to               these               problems               are               often               as               simplistic               and               knee-jerk               as               the               rhetoric               associated               with               politicians.

Politicians               routinely               pander               to               the               middle               class               for               votes               and               the               wealthy               for               campaign               donations.

Middle               and               working               class               fears               of               crime               and               their               anger               toward               "welfare               queens"               and               "quota               blacks"               are               just               as               easily               exploited.

During               the               80s,               Reagan               and               social               conservatives               had               painted               such               a               vivid               portrait               of               women               on               welfare               as               driving               around               in               limousines               and               living               high               off               the               hog               on               taxpayer's               dollars               that               by               the               time               Democrat               Bill               Clinton               ran               for               office               in               1992               it               was               on               a               stump               of               reforming               welfare.

While               it               may               be               true               that               some               welfare               recipients               during               the               1980s               had               "ripped               off"               the               system,               they               paled               in               comparison               to               the               numbers               of               men               who               had               "ripped               off"               thousands               of               the               elderly               in               the               S&L               scandals               (one               of               these               men               was               also               the               son               of               the               then               vice-president               and               brother               of               current               president               George               W.

Bush).
               Conservatives               were               successful               at               painting               this               image               of               welfare               mothers               because               many               had               the               bully               pulpit               of               talk               radio               and               television               programs               such               as               the               "McLaughlin               Group,"               not               to               mention               a               president               in               the               White               House               whose               skills               at               communication               are               considered               near               legendary,               to               spread               their               word.

It               also               helped               that               many               blue-collar               Americans               who               bought               this               portrayal               were               angry               at               anyone               for               not               pulling               their               fair               weight,               despite               the               fact               that               they               were               among               the               many               suffering               from               the               same               Reaganesque               policies               that               hurt               the               poor               and               favored               the               wealthy               and               elites.
               Two               other               examples               of               how               the               news               media               affects               legislation               are               the               drug               crime               laws               and               California's               "Three               Strikes"               law.

During               the               eighties,               when               crack               became               a               scourge               in               urban               cities               across               America,               stories               of               drive-by               shootings,               gang               wars,               and               killings               associated               with               the               drug               became               a               nightly               feature               on               the               local               and               network               news.

Programs,               such               as               "Nightline,"               even               ran               town               hall               meetings               to               discuss               the               issue.

While               much               of               the               violence               and               drug               abuse               were               seemingly               relegated               to               poor,               urban,               and               black               communities               (surveys               have               shown               that               the               average               drug               user               is               actually               a               white               male               in               his               twenties),               stories               of               crimes               associated               with               crack               engendered               the               worst               of               working               and               middle               class               fears,               regardless               of               race.
               When               the               media               introduced               the               term               "carjacking"               into               the               American               lexicon,               politicians               responded               and               toughened               laws               against               abuse               and               crimes               associated               with               crack               that               today,               in               states               like               California,               are               now               being               repealed               or               softened               (during               the               2000               election,               the               California               electorate               overwhelmingly               voted               for               Prop.

36,               which               diverted               nonviolent               drug               offenders               out               of               overcrowded               prisons               and               jails               and               into               rehab               treatment).

Many               believed               that               these               drug               laws               were               inconsistent.

Poor               blacks               who               were               caught               selling               or               using               drugs               were               given               tougher               sentences               than               white,               middle               class               defendants,               due               to               the               different               charges               applied               to               crack               against               cocaine               (President               Bush's               impetus               to               add               Ecstasy               to               the               list               of               criminalized               drugs               will               add               an               interesting               wrinkle               to               this               issue               since               most               Ecstasy               users               tend               to               be               white               and               middle               class).
               In               1994,               the               nation               was               riveted               when               a               little               girl               named               Polly               Klaas               was               abducted               out               of               her               home               in               Petaluma               and               subsequently               murdered               by               Richard               Allen               Davis.

The               local               and               national               news               followed               every               turn               in               the               investigation               of               her               kidnapping               and               disappearance               right               up               to               the               breaking               news               story               of               the               discovery               of               her               body               and               through               her               murderer's               trial               and               conviction.

Much               of               the               nation               was               stunned               to               learn               after               Davis               was               arrested               that               he               had               been               a               career               criminal,               veering               in               and               out               of               the               system               like               a               yo-yo               when               there               were               clear               signs               that               he               was               a               danger               to               society.
               While               such               crimes               as               the               kidnapping               and               murder               of               Polly               Klaas               are               aberrant               and               that               children               are               murdered               every               year               by               someone               they               know,               a               parent               for               instance,               the               Klaas's               kidnapping               fed               into               every               parents'               fear.

Concerned               citizens,               victims'               relatives,               and               politicians               got               together               and               created               Prop.

184,               which               would               go               on               to               become               known               as               the               "Three               Strikes"               law.

Those               who               are               convicted               on               their               third               "strike"               felony,               are               given               a               rigid               "25               years               to               life"               sentence,               with               little               discretion               on               the               part               of               the               judge.

The               law               was               meant               to               frighten               criminals               from               committing               crimes               and               put               those               who               have               behind               bars               where               they               belong               for               a               long               time.

While               it               would               be               simplistic               to               suggest               that               the               media's               coverage               of               the               Klaas               kidnapping               led               to               this               law,               it               isn't               too               hard               to               suggest               that               the               media's               history               of               playing               up               their               crime               stories               with               their               "if               it               leads,               it               bleeds"               mentality               has               conditioned               a               society               that               was               desperate               enough               for               any               solution               to               the               crimes               that               bedeviled               it.

Experts,               defense               attorneys,               and               the               police,               now               contend               that               the               "Three               Strikes"               law               has               had               deleterious               effects               on               the               criminal               justice               system.
               They               provide               examples               such               as               the               case               of               the               man               who               was               given               25               years               to               life               for               stealing               a               bicycle               as               proof               that               the               law               allows               no               middle               ground               in               sentencing.

In               fact,               one               of               the               reasons               why               Prop               36               won               was               because               its               proponents               had               successfully               proven               that               because               of               the               overcrowded               prisons               due               to               the               "Three               Strikes"               law               locking               up               nonviolent               drug               offenders               would               save               taxpayer               money.

Still,               politicians               and               prosecutors               contend               that               "Three               Strikes"               does               work,               pointing               to               the               decreased               crime               rates               in               California               as               evidence.

But               criminal               justice               expects               such               as               the               ones               at               the               RAND               Corporation               and               Alfred               Blumenstein,               a               criminal               justice               professor               at               Carnegie               Mellon               University,               have               done               studies               that               suggest               that               crime               rates               in               states               that               have               no               "Three               Strikes"               laws               on               their               books               have               lowered               to               the               same               comparable               rates               in               California,               and               that               even               counties,               such               as               San               Francisco,               where               the               law               is               leniently               applied,               have               seen               the               same               lowered               crime               rates               comparable               to               counties               where               "Three               Strikes"               is               vigorously               applied,               such               as               in               Kern               or               Los               Angeles.

Still,               the               appetite               for               "get               tough               on               crime"               laws               is               strong               in               California.

The               same               year               that               Prop.

36               won,               another               proposition,               Prop.

21,               which               called               for               tougher               sentencing               on               juvenile               criminals,               had               won,               this               despite               the               fact               that               the               juvenile               crime               rates,               especially               among               black               teens,               have               been               dropping               dramatically               since               1993               (Prop.

21               was               placed               on               the               law               books               when               school               shootings               at               Columbine               and               Santee,               California               were               still               the               subject               of               debate               on               television).
               Ever               since               President               Bill               Clinton               signed               the               1996               Telecommunications               Act,               and               even               before               then,               media               outlets               have               been               consolidating               in               ever               greater               numbers.

Now               news               outlets,               which               in               the               past               were               not               expected               to               be               great               moneymakers               since               the               prestige               of               having               a               good               news               organization               was               well               worth               a               network's               reputation,               were               now               expected               to               hew               the               bottom-line.

News               rooms               were               slashed               to               make               them               more               cost               effective,               leaving               little               room,               time,               or               resources               to               fully               investigate               complex               stories.

While               some               news               outlets               still               continue               to               try               to               tell               good               stories               about               issues               that               affect               this               country               (such               as               Nightline's               women               in               prison               series               a               few               years               back),               most               tend               to               pursue               stories               that               are               ratings               grabbers               -               -sex               scandals               such               as               the               Bill               Clinton               and               Monica               Lewinsky               and               Gary               Condit               and               Chandra               Levy               scandals,               shark               attacks,               and               celebrity               fluff               interviews.
               The               9/11               terrorist               attacks               shifted               this               focus               somewhat               (the               news               media               certainly               deserve               praise               for               going               three               days               straight               without               advertising,               losing               millions               of               ad               dollars               in               the               process,               to               deliver               the               latest               news               of               the               attacks               and               their               aftermath),               but               that,               it               turns               out,               was               an               anomaly.

Unfortunately,               this               "diversion"               away               from               information               that               any               informed               citizenry               needs               in               order               to               preserve               the               integrity               of               a               democratic               country,               harms               democracy               in               the               process.

Clearly,               after               9/11,               many               Americans,               ignorant               of               world               news               and               current               events,               were               ill-prepared               to               understand               how               and               why               such               pernicious               attacks               could               have               occurred               in               the               first               place.

They               were               even               more               unwilling               to               debate               or               understand               the               complexities               and               the               possible               consequences               of               the               direction               the               president               was               leading               this               nation               in               his               handling               of               the               so-called               "War               on               Terrorism."               The               news               media,               in               turn,               followed               their               lead               and               largely               avoided               questioning               policy.

Whether               it's               dealing               with               issues               such               as               poverty,               race,               crime,               foreign               or               domestic               policy,               the               mainstream               news               media               fails               to               live               up               to               its               responsibilities,               which               are               enshrined               in               our               nation's               Constitution.






Image of university of florida mascot






university of florida mascot
university of florida mascot


university of florida mascot Image 1


university of florida mascot
university of florida mascot


university of florida mascot Image 2


university of florida mascot
university of florida mascot


university of florida mascot Image 3


university of florida mascot
university of florida mascot


university of florida mascot Image 4


university of florida mascot
university of florida mascot


university of florida mascot Image 5


  • Related blog with university of florida mascot





    1. latimesblogs.latimes.com/sports_blog/   02/01/2012
      ...self-adopted mascot "Handsome Dan"). In the case of the University of Florida and the Gators...a good name for a Florida team and pointed to the existence of alligators...
    2. pswansen.blogspot.com/   08/06/2005
      ... that Indian mascots are bad and.... The Florida State Seminoles...the figurative body of water). The policy... or universities with hostile or abusive...
    3. collegerule.wordpress.com/   03/06/2007
      Name: Darren Heitner Website: Sports Agent Blog Your School: University of Florida Location: Gainesville, FL School Colors: orange and blue School Mascot: alligator Do outsiders “get” your mascot? His name is Albert. His wife...
    4. lipstadt.blogspot.com/   06/15/2007
      ...university. The second noted, without comment, that the leadership of another Florida university (which had an Indian mascot) was encouraging students to show...
    5. pointofthegame.blogspot.com/   05/18/2010
      .... The seriousness of the battle reminds us that mascots are more than.... Some Universities like Florida State Seminoles...
    6. gotheretrythat.blogspot.com/   04/15/2010
      ...… it was the mascot of the trip, which actually...Tau Epsilon Phi at Clarkson University… and when you start ...Tour’ hit Pensacola Beach, Florida for one weekend only… mainly...
    7. jortsgville.blogspot.com/   11/26/2010
      .... Now the campus seems to be lousy with its mascot, these days. Or perhaps its a portent of good tides for a Gator victory against evil rivals...
    8. sentencing.typepad.com/sentencing_law_and_policy/   04/15/2013
      ...chairman of the board of trustees. The university had been...Student groups at Florida Atlantic quickly ...play on the university's mascot, an owl. They...
    9. premierproperties1.wordpress.com/   02/05/2009
      ...Association, the MSU Alumni Club of Southwest Florida will be co-sponsoring a...special appearance by “Sparty,” the University’s popular mascot. The event will be a great opportunity...
    10. crushliberalism.blogspot.com/   08/15/2005
      ... a problem with the mascot, I could understand ... Indian tribe outside of Florida get to have any freakin' say-so about what we call our university? Some loudmouthed Seminole from...



    Related Video with university of florida mascot







    university of florida mascot Video 1








    university of florida mascot Video 2








    university of florida mascot Video 3




    university of florida mascot































    0 개의 댓글:

    댓글 쓰기