CITIZENSHIP 101: Support Real Jounalism (ALBUQUERQUE)
Like the majority of voters this year, I did NOT vote for the shyster who, thanks to a flawed institution called the electoral college, is about to become the American president. In fact I abhor the person who won. Unfortunately I do not have the means nor the authority to move my entire extended family to a more compatible environment/country/region. Besides if I did, I’d still have to fear American presidential irrationality, American weapons, American xenophobia; in other words there’s nowhere to hide. Therefore, in order not to be part of this growing problem, I had better figure out how to be part of the solution…but what, where, how, when, with whom?
Here are some of questions and my answers for me—at least for now. First how to know the truth of anything? Secondly, how to support those standing between the most drastic results of this rebirth of the Know-Nothing Party and the most vulnerable among us ? Thirdly, where are my brains and body needed to stand against this flight to the new dark ages our country seems to be joining, perhaps leading.
TRUTH: I’m not interested in scrolling through the web’s noisiest pages for free truth. Journalism costs money. Reporters live and eat and have houses and children while putting themselves in more danger than almost anyone except perhaps the world’s millions of refugees. If we want them to dig out the truth of all matters we need to pay the truth-seekers. SO I have paid subscriptions to a few of the most reliable and honest media sources available including the NYT, New York Review of Books, Guardian, New Yorker, Atlantic, Harper’s and Vanity Fair. Will I read all of the important pieces these smart, literate, factual publications offer? Unfortunately not. And I probably will not renew them all next year, but I’ll know which ones pull me in most tightly and deeply. And I’ll be able to offer truth to power or, more likely, truth to ignorance when the opportunity arises.
I also subscribe to four on-line magazines from abroad that come highly recommended and are for the most part free. Then there’s PBS and NPR, both of whom I deem fairly reliable.
I no longer have cable/dish, but my brother did hook up a little antenna so I can get the public channels and a late night comedian or two—isn’t it interesting that the latter are among the relatively few people on TV some of us find trustworthy—and offering up some dark-age chuckles to boot. I guess my message is—we get what we pay for…also known as we must pay fairly for reliable products of all kinds—clothes, cars, pasture-raised chickens AND the news.
Please…Subscribe to Publications You can Trust…and Read Good Books by Intelligent People.
I’ll return with more thoughts about the need to support, through contributions and memberships, organizations that work to counteract the forces of Republican evil.
And how I feel about putting my person on the line—in front of the tank, hand outstretched with flowers—that is so not me! I really really don’t want to be that person but I’m no longer sure I can get through my relatively safe life without the need for just such actions.
You are so right, Marj! And it’s not only in America where developments take a wrong direction. There are ugly nationalist rightwing parties rearing their ugly heads again. How fast people forget the lessons from WW2!
Best wishes from your cousin Arne.